Not Soon Forgotten
by iloveprettysilverhair
Summary: Sesshoumaru Taisho, a business tycoon and playboy sets sail to New York to meet up with his bridetobe. On that same cruise is Kagome Higurashi, a nightclub singer, also heading to America to see her significant other. On the long trip, the two meet...
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_**Summary: Sesshoumaru Taisho, business tycoon and playboy sets sail to New York to meet up with his bride-to-be. On that same cruise is Kagome Higurashi, a nightclub singer, also heading to America to see her significant other. On the trip, the two people meet and fall in love, but their relationship is cut short after an accident occurs. **_

**_This story follows closely one of my all time favorite movies "An Affair to Remember". I hope you enjoy it!_**

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News Commentator:**_ _Well fellas, I have some fantastic news for all of us men who have ever had a hard time getting a date. Sesshoumaru Taisho, one of the most infamous men among women, is now off the market! That's right, he won't be taking the ladies' attention from us anymore, this time it's marriage for him!_

_The lucky young lady? Miss Kagura Wind, who will be meeting up with him once he arrives in New York from his cruise. A company merger and eight hundred million dollars is what this arrangement is worth! Hell, for eight hundred million I would marry a spider! _

_The news is spreading quickly all around the globe, this should be an unforgettable event! Congratulations go out to the happy couple!_

The cruise ship was prominent, with people of all social standing gracing its decks. The lights were dim, giving off a romantic feel while the large boat rocked gently from side to side. A tall figure dressed in a business suit walked along the deck, trying to blend into the shadows as much as he could. One such as him however, could never escape the eyes of anyone; his presence alone screamed power.

Many of the passengers were gathering in the hall for dinner, leaving stragglers to roam the nearly deserted deck. The man dressed in the pricy suit noticed that a young man was dashing back and forth from passenger to passenger asking for mister Taisho, getting nothing but negatives in reply.

The young man ran towards a gentleman not far from where he stood.

"Taisho-sama?" he asked.

"No, I am not him," replied the gentleman before he eagerly asked, "Is here on board with us?"

The young man smiled and walked off again without offering an answer, but his silence gave more than enough away. Sesshoumaru, seeing the messenger coming his way and in no mood to answer any questions, began to move up the stairs to the second deck before the young man stopped to ask him. He almost got away scott free when…

"Taisho-sama?" came the young man's voice.

Mentally sighing, Sesshoumaru moved back down the steps slowly and to the boy.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" Sesshoumaru asked.

The young man shifted under the piercing gaze of this powerful man. "T-there's a phone call for from Tokyo."

Sesshoumaru nodded and the young messenger turned in the other direction and quickly fled. In his place, a small hoard of middle-aged women took their place around him.

"You're THE Taisho-sama?!" one of them screeched.

"Indeed," he replied coolly in his trademark baritone voice.

"Can we-can we have you're autograph?! Signed 'with love'?" another swooned while the others stared dreamy-eyed at him.

"I am afraid I will have to take a rain check on that, I have a very urgent phone call awaiting me. Now, if you'll excuse me…" he slightly nodded his head and left the group of love sick women.

This was something that happened to him wherever he went. Women would flock around him with visions of passion-filled nights floating across their eyes. Most were drawn to his fortune and fame and some even had the silly notion of love leave their lips while addressing him. Perhaps marriage would finally keep the crowds at bay and give him time to himself.

Making his way to the phone booth on deck, Sesshoumaru picked up the receiver.

"Taisho speaking."

"_Sesshoumaru you bastard! How could you do this to me?!"_ screamed a woman on the other end.

"Come now Kikyo, why the dramatics? I thought I was only your plaything?" he questioned haughtily.

Ah Kikyo, one of his faithful lovers. She once was married to his brother, but the woman was quick to shift her preferences when his father passed on, leaving Sesshoumaru the heir to his company. Who was he to deny someone that thought he was better than his brother Inuyasha? Kikyo was willing and able, and…convenient.

"_How dare you tell me you love me and tell me all the things you did, and now, what?! You're getting married! Do you not remember what you told me when I gave you that antique pocket knife as a gift? I even had it engraved!"_

"Kikyo do not be foolish, I never spoke of love to you, that was a silly notion that you conjured up yourself."

"_You are such a bastard! I cannot believe you! I hope your ship sinks!"_

Having heard quite enough of Kikyo's rants for one night, Sesshoumaru took drastic measures.

"Kikyo, find another- -hello, hello? Can you hear me? The phone must be disconnected."

Kikyo is not fooled by Sesshoumaru's attempt to end the phone call and begins a new tirade.

"We are not disconnected you arrogant, self-serving-"

With a slight smirk, Sesshoumaru hangs up in the middle of her rant. He sticks his hands in his pockets when he realizes that the pocket knife that Kikyo gave him is missing. With a sigh and a slight shake of his head, Sesshoumaru decided that it would be best to find the knife. It would not do for that to end up on an auction sight; it had his name written on it.

He turned around in the booth and was a bit startled to see the five women that had surrounded him earlier pressing their selves against the glass to get a better look at him. With an uncomfortable nod of his head, he walked out of the booth and began his search.

"Ah Taisho-sama, Taisho-sama!" bellowed a stout looking man.

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes and turned to acknowledge the man.

"Taisho-sama, my name is Myoga, Myoga Nakamura. This is my wife Mrs. Nakamura; it is an honor to meet you as well as to be traveling with you…"

"Indeed…" Sesshoumaru half-heartedly replied. Would no one leave him alone during this trip? The man, Myoga, and his wife were looking at him adoringly. He always got these stares. Everyone wanted to be his "friend".

"Well Taisho-sama, we were just going to join a game of poker and we would be delighted if you would come with us; it would be an honor!"

"As much as-" Sesshoumaru began before he was interrupted.

"I'm sure you would have such a wonderful time Taisho-sama, and our friends would be honored with your company! Why, you could play with us every night! It would be-"

"An honor, I know," Sesshoumaru breathed. "You wouldn't want me to join you, I cheat."

Without another word or glance, Sesshoumaru hurried away from the confused couple to continue his less than fruitful search for his pocket knife. He passed many more people during his search, yet no one had seen his pocket knife. However, he did find a slip of paper in his pocket with a room number on it from a woman who "accidentally" tripped into him.

Needless to say he was not in the best of moods when two hours later he had not yet found his trinket. Most of the passengers had already decided to turn in for the night, so it was rather pointless to continue his search when he could be taking this time to enjoy the usually crowded deck to himself.

He walked along the railing of the boat, glancing here and there to view the scenery. He came across a large opening that looked into a hallway that lead to the rooms and spotted a woman carrying his lost item.

"Excuse me miss," he said.

"Yes? Can I help you?" she replied.

At first glance Sesshoumaru noticed that this woman had the most piercing and unique blue eyes that he had ever seen. Her dark black hair contrasted her eyes wonderfully, and with the moonlight dancing across her face, she almost seemed ethereal. Not many women caught his attention at first pass, not even his fiancé. He caught himself staring at her and noticed that she had raised her eyebrow at him, obviously waiting for him to continue.

Sesshoumaru shook his head mentally and placed his stoic mask back into place where it belonged. How could he let a woman bewitch him so, there were indeed plenty of them to go around, and she was no doubt just like the other gold digging women.

Clearing his throat, Sesshoumaru continued. "I believe you have my pocket knife," he said as he pointed to the knife in her hand. "I would like it back."

The woman smirked at him while giving him a quick once-over. She noticed his long silver hair which was tied up neatly in a low ponytail. His eyes were striking amber that she had only seen once before, and on his face lay two maroon stripes on both cheeks and a blue crescent moon in the middle of his forehead. There was no doubt that he was probably one of the most attractive men that she had ever seen.

He was very nicely dressed and when he reached out for his knife, she noticed that his hands were adorned with claws as well as a set of stripes on his wrist. She put on a mirror image of his stoic face and brought her hands over her heart.

"I guess I should confess. You see, I have a bit of a problem with stealing; some would call me a kleptomaniac," she joked.

Sesshoumaru eyed the woman in front of him. He could easily pinpoint the lie; just what was she getting at?

"I don't believe you," he stated.

The woman sighed; obviously he was not going to play along.

"Alright, if you must know I was taking it to lost and found," she said as she started to hand it to him. "I found it when-wait. How do I know it is really yours?"

Sesshoumaru looked over the woman again. For a minute there he thought she would give it to him, no questions asked. He was both impressed and a bit annoyed that she would not just give him his belonging. However, he decided to indulge her and cure her of her hesitations.

"There is an inscription on the side of the casing," he told her.

"Hm," she said as she turned over the knife to look for the engraving. Deciding to have a bit of fun, she started to read it aloud. "To my dearest Sesshoumaru-hold on," she started. She looked up at him from looking at the knife and raised her eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you're the famous Sesshoumaru Taisho?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her. He knew it, now it was only a matter of time before she decided to throw herself at him, pleading with him to whisk her away and throwing out sweet nothings of love.

"Indeed I am. Now if you don't mind-" Sesshoumaru snipped as he once again reached out for his knife. However, she pulled away and continued talking as if he never said anything.

"I've seen and read so much about you! Let me see, now was it in People magazine or Fortune 500?" she absently questioned.

He dropped his arm back down to his side and gave her a smirk, "Neither, I believe it was Women's magazine."

She smiled and blushed. "Oh."

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat again and tried, "Now, may I have my pocket knife back?"

The woman gave a mischievous grin and turned her back toward him as she began to read the engraving silently to herself. After a second or so, she twirled back around to face him with a dark blush adorning her cheeks.

"This is very intimate," she started. "However, I only know a little bit of English; apparently enough to be embarrassed. Would you mind translating, not in complete detail, what it says?"

"I do not believe that is any of your business," he said.

The woman rolled her eyes and handed him his knife. He apparently was not the playing type. She started to walk away when she heard him speak.

"In English?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" the woman questioned in return.

"Would you like me to translate it in English?" he clarified.

She smiled and took a step back toward him. "In Japanese please."

"In essence, the engraving reads 'To remembering the three glorious nights on 'The Kikyo'," he said before quickly adding, "That's the name of her yacht."

There was a silence that followed his translation and they continued to stare at each other with similar deadpan faces. After a while Sesshoumaru broke the silence.

"Does that sate your curiosity?"

"It does. I might even write a song about it. How does 'Moonlight over the Kikyo' sound? Do you think it'll be a hit?"

He stared at her blankly and gave her no answer as he watched her shake her head.

"I guess not," the woman said as she walked away.

This woman was odd. She had a very playful streak about her that he very rarely ever found. She did not throw herself at him as he expected her to do, like so many other women had; nor did she cower before him like so many business people had done. She merely joked and engaged him in semi-intelligent conversation before leaving him alone. Well, now this peaked his curiosity; maybe he found someone to talk to during this trip.

He quickly followed after her, but lost sight of the woman when she disappeared behind a door. Sesshoumaru opened the door and stepped inside to look for her, but found no trace of the woman that had garnered his attention.

He straightened himself up and fixed his tie. Just what was he doing following after some woman like a lost puppy; he did not need anyone to keep him company. And even if he did, he could easily seek out one of the many women on this ship that would no doubt jump at the chance to…keep him company.

Sesshoumaru walked back out the door and then stopped in his tracks. Did he really want to let just _any_ woman grace his company? Surely not. Now he was confused; did he want to find this woman or didn't he?

He started to pace the deck just outside of the door that the woman had disappeared behind. He was so caught up in his musings that he did not notice when the woman had reappeared and was now watching him pace back and forth.

"Are you alright? Did you lose it again?" she asked, effectively bringing him out of his thoughts.

Sesshoumaru stopped his motions and turned to face her. She was smiling at him, obviously amused by his actions. Well, at least she would keep him entertained.

"You see, I have a bit of a dilemma," he started.

"Oh? Well, I could have told you that-" the woman began.

He continued talking, determined not to let this woman get the better of him. "I am in need of someone to speak with."

"You wouldn't want to talk to me; I've been told I talk a lot. It's something I'm working on, really."

"That very well may be, but you seem to be someone that I can trust," Sesshoumaru said.

The woman gave him a skeptical look. Perhaps now he wanted to be playful? Well, she couldn't say that she was disappointed; she did not know anyone on this ship and there was still a while before the docked in America. She crossed her arms over her chest and replied.

"Alright, I'm listening."

Sesshoumaru smirked: hook, line, and sinker. He gently took hold of her arm and started to lead her away.

"Come," he stated.

The woman glanced at him and saw the determined look on his face. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea?

"You know," the woman began, "there are many other people aboard this ship, the messenger boy seems to be an honest person as well, perhaps one of them might be just as good to talk to."

Sesshoumaru does not answer her, but continues to lead her down the hallways of the ship. He was not even sure where he was going, he just knew that this woman was going to accompany him during the trip. He stopped along a corridor and looked both left and right.

"My room or yours?" he asked.

The woman was a bit taken aback. Surely he did not think that she was going to give him that kind of company. Was he really that arrogant?

"I don't think that that's appropriate Taisho-sama," she said.

He narrowed his eyes at her and all but snarled.

"You dare question my honor? Believe me woman your virtue will remain intact. If you do not wish to keep me company than please say so now before I waste any more of my time."

That she did not expect; did she hurt his feelings?

"Please, I apologize Taisho-sama, your question just startled me is all. We can go to my cabin, it's not too far from here," the woman stated, trying to make up to him.

He nodded and allowed her to lead him to her room which ended up only being a few doors down from where they were. She fumbled a bit with her key, but eventually was able to keep her hands from shaking enough to unlock the door. The woman opened it for him and extended her arm as an invitation to enter.

Sesshoumaru nodded his thanks and walked gracefully into her room. It was a bit smaller than his, but nonetheless looked much like his own room. The walls were colored a light coral shade and the only other door led to the bathroom. There was a small couch underneath a porthole, and a bed with a table next to it. He placed his hands in his pockets and continued his vague search of her room.

The woman lightly cleared her throat in effort to gain his attention.

"Look, it's not that I a prude, it's just that I don't usually invite strange men into my cabin and although you are famous, I'm afraid that you fall into that category as well. I'm sorry if I hurt your feeling earlier."

"It is of no consequence," Sesshoumaru replied, not stopping his inspection. "What is your name?"

"Ka-Kagome Higurashi, and before you ask, yes, I am traveling alone."

He nodded his head in acknowledgement. "I must say Kagome Higurashi, that you have spared me a lot of trouble tonight."

"I have?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes, you have," Sesshoumaru stated; it was time to up the charm. "You see, I was on the verge of being bored to death until you came along and I was really rather surprised that I had yet to see an attractive female on this ship. When I saw you, you immediately put two of my problems to rest."

Oh, he was good. Just not good enough.

"Hm, has that line ever worked on anyone, or would it surprise me just how many it has indeed worked on?" Kagome questioned.

Sesshoumaru genuinely smiled at her, glad to have a sharp mind around him. "You would surely be surprised, and unfortunately, you did not go for it as I thought you would."

"You jerk, is that supposed to be an insult? Because I can dish them out just about as good as I can take them," Kagome challenged.

"I have no doubt that you could, Kagome Higurashi," chuckled Sesshoumaru.

"I know that I can, and I will. Does your bride-to-be know the owner of the yacht 'The Kikyo'?"

He scowled a bit at this but decided to answer nonetheless. "Indeed she does, it was her best friend, of course, that has since then been remedied."

"Of course it has," she said as she rolled her eyes. "My, aren't you all a tight-knit little group."

Sesshoumaru walked over to the small sofa and took a seat next to her. Kagome worried her bottom lip a little and glanced over at the table next to her where a bouquet of roses sat. Sesshoumaru followed her gaze and then looked back to her.

"Are those from your husband?" he asked.

"No, I'm not married. They are, however, from my boyfriend," she clarified.

Sesshoumaru nodded and once again there was a pregnant silence between them. Kagome nervously twiddled her thumbs in her lap and nearly jumped when Sesshoumaru spoke again.

"Is he wealthy?" he asked trying to make small talk.

"Not that that's any of your business," she said mimicking his earlier words, "but yes he is."

"If you don't mind my asking, where is he now?"

"He's in Los Angeles, California," answered Kagome.

"Is he there on business or pleasure?" Sesshoumaru continued.

"Well, it's a bit hard to explain, but, he moved to California from Tokyo after a separation. And, well, his divorce is being worked through in Los Angeles; it was the closest office that would help him with all of the long distance paperwork."

"I see. So why is it that you did not move with him?"

"Full of questions aren't you?" she asked.

"I guess I am; but I am a naturally curious person," Sesshoumaru admitted.

"Well, he wanted me to go with him, but decided that it would be best if I stayed away while all of this went through. Divorces can be a bit messy."

"I suppose that makes sense," Sesshoumaru said a bit disbelievingly. "I don't suppose he would approve of you having a drink with me?"

"I don't believe he would," Kagome said with a small smile.

"Of course not. He must have a lot of trust in you, allowing you to travel alone all the way from Japan."

"I'm a big girl I can take care of myself. And yes, he does trust me; quite a bit actually."

"How long have the two of you been together?"

"Not very long, only a few months. But you can imagine how…attractive he is if I can turn down someone such as yourself Taisho-sama."

Sesshoumaru nodded, his ego just a bit bruised, as he stood to go. "I guess that is my cue to take my leave."

"I'm sorry if I've embarrassed you, please that was not my intention."

Sesshoumaru snorted a little at that; him embarrassed…please. His ego trip just landed is all, and if he left now, he might be able to take some of his dignity with him.

"I am not embarrassed. Surely there will be other times when we can meet; there's always poker with Mr. Nakamura and his lovely wife," he said a bit disgustedly. "We could always go for a swim, or play shuffle board. Unless you would-"

"Like to have dinner with you?" Kagome asked quickly.

Sesshoumaru smirked and stopped his movement from the door. "Yes, unless you would like to have dinner with me,"

Kagome smiled and blushed a little at her boldness. "I'd love to," she said with her eyes a bit down cast.

Sesshoumaru took her hand in his and placed a light kiss on the back of her hand which earned him an even darker blush.

"Until tomorrow then, I will be here at seven to escort you to the dining hall."

"Alright, until tomorrow," she agreed.

Sesshoumaru bowed slightly and took leave of her room. This should be interesting, she would definitely give him a challenge to look forward to. He was quite pleased that he met her, she was witty, quick, and also quite beautiful. He could not have asked for a better companion to keep him company on this trip.

Kagome dropped onto her bed and put her hand to her cheek; did she just agree to go to dinner with Sesshoumaru Taisho?

"Oh Kami I just agreed to go to dinner with Sesshoumaru Taisho," she said to herself.

Without dressing for bed, she turned the light off and covered herself with her blanket. This should be a very interesting cruise.

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_Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Please feel free to comment and review! Thanks __again!_

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	2. One Table, Party of Two

**All the reviews I recieved were great! Thank you all so much for taking the time to send them to me; they are what makes what I do all worth while. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

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The night passed by slowly for the two travelers, both anticipating the dinner that they were scheduled to have together. Kagome got one of the worst nights of sleep that she has had in quite a while, partly due to her nagging conscience, but mostly because she could not get Sesshoumaru's piercing eyes and the kiss that he had placed on her hand.

Sesshoumaru was not doing much better in his room; when he had locked eyes with Kagome, each and every time he found it harder to look away. Demons do not usually need sleep, but he found that he was utterly exhausted; the woman Kagome had taken up most of his thoughts and he needed to rest his head.

The two of them both went about the next day separately; the main reason being Sesshoumaru did not want to have to maneuver himself about the passengers all day. Kagome took her time to wander the ship, finding different people to talk to and various activities to partake in, but her mind was elsewhere. That Sesshoumaru Taisho believed himself to be Kami's gift to women, and fortunately, or unfortunately for her, he decided that she needed to be gifted with his presence.

When the time came for Kagome to get ready for her dinner date, butterflies were flying madly in her stomach. She chose a simple dress made of light blue silk which came to a conservative 'v' shape around her neck. It was floor length and hugged her curves gently, giving her a very feminine look. Never being one to wear much makeup, she only put a light blush and some mascara on. Her choices of dress may have been simple, but the outcome was anything but.

Kagome had just finished brushing out her hair when there was a knock on her door. At this point, the butterflies in her stomach had grown very large wings, so she took a few calming breaths to relax herself.

When she felt that she would not pass out, she glided over to the door and opened it; what she saw made the hard earned breath that she just achieved catch in here throat. Sesshoumaru stood their in all his high-priced glory wearing a black suit with an ivory colored shirt underneath. His long, silky hair was once again pulled into a low pony tail and he was gracing her with a slightly fanged smile.

"Good evening Kagome Higurashi, I trust you are ready for dinner?" he asked.

"Y-yes I am. And if I may, you look very nice tonight," she managed to say.

"As do you," Sesshoumaru said before he offered his arm to her. "Shall we?"

Kagome nodded and the two of them set off for the dining hall. There were many people there enjoying their meals, seemingly unawares of the two people that walked through the door. The host led them to a nice table near the edge of the large room and left them with the small menu of food.

Kagome now noticed that many of the women in the room were openly gawking at Sesshoumaru, while he was doing his best not to see them.

"You have quite a way with women Taisho-sama. Tell me, did your nanny read Casanova to you before bed when you were young?" Kagome said playfully.

"Indeed she did…every night," Sesshoumaru said with a smirk.

Kagome shook her head. "And I guess that those bedtime stories helped you to gain the affections of quite a few women?"

"Hn."

"More than a few?" Kagome offered.

"Well…"

"Would a calculator help you figure it out?"

"Ah look, here's the waiter," Sesshoumaru said dodging the question.

The waiter took their orders, but hesitates to leave. Sesshoumaru looks up to the man and raises one of his eyebrows.

"Is there something else you need?" Sesshoumaru asked him.

"Please forgive me Taisho-sama; I was just wondering if you would like me to reserve this table for you two every night," the waiter said hastily.

Sesshoumaru looked over to Kagome in silent question to which she nodded shyly in answer.

"That would be sufficient," Sesshoumaru declared.

The waiter bowed and made his departure to get their food. Kagome knew that Sesshoumaru thought he had directed her away from her earlier line of questioning, but she was determined to learn more about him.

"So I guess all the women you've been with have fallen head over heels in love with you," Kagome said more than asked.

"I guess they have…"

"But, since they are all just one of many, your respect for them has been less than honorable…"

"Your point?" Sesshoumaru asked a bit annoyed.

"Oh nothing, I'm just evaluating all that is Sesshoumaru Taisho. Is it safe to assume that you treat them fairly when with them?"

Sesshoumaru nodded his head in the positive. "I am always fair with them. I place them on a pedestal and treat them to their hearts' desires. However, not many of them remain on that pedestal; the longer I know them, the further they drop in my assessment."

Kagome gave him a calculating look, obviously taking into account all that he has said. She was about to continue her questions when he beat her to it.

"Enough about me, why don't we talk about you?" he offered.

"We can talk about me some other time. Getting to know you is a tiring job, and your numbers are quite impressive if I do say so myself."

"Alright then, we can discuss you tomorrow," he acquiesced. Kagome nodded her agreement.

The two of them enjoyed their dinner over small talk involving anything other than themselves. Sesshoumaru ordered a bottle of wine for them, and Kagome was now sipping on her third glass.

"You know Sesshoumaru," she said. He didn't miss the fact that she didn't use his last name this time while addressing him. Ah, the wonders of alcohol. "You're exactly how I imagined you to be."

"Ah, so you've thought of me before?" Sesshoumaru asked amusedly.

"Well yes, I mean, what red blooded woman hasn't thought of you in one way or another," she stated.

"And precisely which way have you thought of me Kagome?"

"That's for me to know and for you to-"

"Find out?" Sesshoumaru interrupted. "I'd be delighted."

"Don't be crafty Sesshoumaru. Your skills may have worked on other women, but I for one, am not falling for it."

"You cannot blame me for trying," he stated. "You know you're a lot easier to speak with when you have been drinking."

"Yes, so I've been told. I guess I'm not very good at holding my liquor; I'll only have one more glass after this."

Sesshoumaru notices that Mr. and Mrs. Myoga Nakamura approaching their tables and groans. Kagome hears him and turns to look at what has him so distraught. The couple seems to completely ignore her and stares straight at Sesshoumaru.

"Ah Taisho-sama, how good it is to see you again! Of course, you remember my wife?"

Keeping up appearances, Sesshoumaru nods to them. Myoga seems to have just realized that Sesshoumaru has a companion at his table and gives a sly grin.

"Why Taisho-sama, who is this lovely young woman you are with?" the man asks.

"How forgetful of me," Sesshoumaru said as he gave an apologetic glance to Kagome. "This is Kagome Higurashi. Kagome, this is Mr. and Mrs. Nakamura."

"A pleasure to meet you," Kagome said as she gave a small bow of her head.

"The pleasure is all mine Ms. Higurashi. Taisho-sama, I would like to introduce you to my son; he is also a businessman, and quite good if I might add," said Myoga.

"Well, I wouldn't want to take up any more of you time Myoga-san-"

"Nonsense Taisho-sama, it would be an honor to introduce you to him. Perhaps you can swap business stories, eh?" Myoga motioned a young man over to him and then placed his arm around his shoulders.

"Taisho-sama, this is my son Naraku, I'm sure the two of you will get along fantastically!" Myoga declared.

Sesshoumaru stared blankly at the man before him. Instead of getting rid of Myoga and his wife, he gained another Nakamura; fabulous.

The young man bowed to Sesshoumaru before turning towards Kagome. Naraku nearly lost all of his wits when he saw Kagome; she was perhaps the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. He found it hard to look away from her, but came out of his stupor when he noticed that she was blushing under his scrutiny. Naraku walked towards her and took her hand to kiss it.

"Please excuse me for staring," he whispered to her, "but you are gorgeous."

Kagome felt her cheeks go warm at his declaration. She gently pulled her hand away from him and looked down to her lap.

"Thank you very much Naraku-san," she spoke shyly.

Sesshoumaru, who did not like that this man was flirting so openly with someone that was assumed to be his date, cleared his throat loudly.

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you. If you don't mind, we'd like to get back to our conversation," Sesshoumaru interjected.

"Of course Taisho-sama," Myoga Nakamura said. He gathered his wife and the couple walked off, leaving Naraku behind to say his goodbyes.

"Well Ms.-" Naraku started.

"Higurashi. Kagome Higurashi," Kagome supplied.

"Well Ms. Higurashi, I hope you have a wonderful evening. Perhaps we can get together during the trip and get to know one another?" Naraku asked hopefully.

"Perhaps," Kagome said.

Naraku bowed again to both Sesshoumaru and Kagome and left their side. Sesshoumaru stared at Kagome with a slight scowl marring his otherwise perfect features. How dare she flirt with that man when she was supposed to be with him?!

"Perhaps I should have left the two of you alone?" Sesshoumaru stated hotly.

"Oh don't be that way Sesshoumaru, I was merely being polite," said Kagome.

"Is that what they are calling blatant flirting nowadays?"

Kagome wanted to stick her tongue out at him, but decided better of it. Instead, she took the advantage to get the better of him.

"Are you-are you jealous Sesshoumaru?" she asked.

"I do not get jealous-"

"Of course you don't," she interrupted.

Sesshoumaru lifted his eyebrow at her and continued. "I was only wondering at your lack of manners when out with someone else. Did you or did you not say you would have dinner with me?"

"Sesshoumaru, we did have dinner and now we are enjoying each other's company."

"That is true. However, when you and I have dinner again, I expect your undivided attention."

"Alright Sesshoumaru, I apologize. That was rude of me. How about I make it up to you with a dance?" Kagome asked as she stood from her chair.

"That is acceptable," he said as he took her hand to lead her out on the dance floor.

There were other people dancing around them as they made their way to the middle of the room. Sesshoumaru spun her around gently and placed his hand upon her hip while she put her hand on his shoulder.

By now a few people were watching them dance and began whispering to each other. Most of them recognized Sesshoumaru, but none seemed to be able to place who the young woman was that was with him. Anyone who kept up with the news or opened up a magazine knew that Sesshoumaru was engaged to be married; was this his fiancé?

"I believe we have an audience," Sesshoumaru whispered to Kagome.

Kagome looked around her subtlety to take in the curious faces of some of their fellow passengers. She shook her head and returned her attention back to Sesshoumaru.

"It seems you can go nowhere without an entourage. Doesn't it ever get tiring?" Kagome asked him.

"It does, but I usually act as if they are not their. Once in a while, they get the hint and leave me be."

"Oh? And what happens when they don't 'leave you be'?" she asked.

"I threaten them," Sesshoumaru stated matter-of-factly.

That statement caused Kagome to laugh, a sound Sesshoumaru found he quite enjoyed. They continued their dance while the passengers decided that they got their fill of watching the two of them and went back to their own activities.

"I guess you are as ruthless as they say you are," Kagome pointed out.

"Indeed. But I would be eaten alive if I were not," Sesshoumaru countered.

There dance ended and the two of them returned to their table. Just as Kagome was about to take her seat, Naraku made himself known.

"Ms. Higurashi, I was wondering if you would grace me with a dance?" he asked.

Sesshoumaru stiffened a little when Naraku asked. The man had no class if he would continue to try and steal his date's attention away. He was about to say as much, but Kagome beat him to it.

"Nakamura-san, I appreciate the offer, but I am here with Taisho-sama. Maybe some other time," Kagome politely said.

Shot down once again, Naraku nodded and walked away, leaving Sesshoumaru to stare at Kagome with a smirk on his face. Yes, he definitely made a good choice of companions.

Kagome took her seat and tilted her glass to him for a toast and he mimicked her actions.

"To what are we toasting to?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"To new acquaintances…"she began.

"How about, to new possibilities?" he offered.

"Okay, to new possibilities; although I do think you are getting ahead of yourself Sesshoumaru."

He merely shrugged and they tapped glasses. Kagome, deciding that her last drink was now her second to last drink, refilled her glass as well as his, effectively emptying the bottle of wine.

From afar, Naraku watched with veiled jealousy. Like everyone else on the ship, he had heard of Sesshoumaru Taisho and his recent engagement; and after learning the name of his escort tonight, Naraku deducted that she was indeed _not _his fiancée. This meant, to Naraku, that she was fair game. He had ten more days to drag her away from Sesshoumaru Taisho, and he was going to use them well. Giving himself a congratulatory shot of liquor, Naraku turned around and walked away.

'_Enjoy her while you can your pompous bastard,'_ Naraku thought to himself. _'She won't be hanging around you for very much longer.'_

Sesshoumaru eyed Kagome while she sipped her wine; she was really quite attractive for a human. Of course, when it came to women, he was not very particular at who graced his bed when he so desired. However, since meeting her yesterday, he was pleasantly surprised that she was not like many women. He felt the urge to pat himself on the back for finding such an entertaining person.

"What would you say to a walk around the ship?" Sesshoumaru asked suddenly.

Kagome looked up lazily at him and smiled, "I would say that sounds like a very nice idea."

Sesshoumaru stood up first while Kagome gulped down the rest of her wine.

'_She'll be feeling that in the morning,'_ Sesshoumaru thought to himself.

He went around to her side of the table and pulled her chair out for her and helped her to stand on shaky legs. The host of the restaurant opened the door and bowed to them as the exited the room; a small knowing smile gracing his features.

The couple made their way to the railing of the ship in the front of the boat. Although it was night, the moon gave off an enchanting illusion of sparkling stars glistening off the waters ahead of them. It would have been quite romantic for two lovers looking to lose themselves in each other.

"So tell me Sesshoumaru," Kagome asked slightly slurring her words, "What is your fiancé like?"

He could have gone the entire trip not discussing Kagura. Alas, lady luck was not on his side.

"She is…different, I guess," he answered vaguely.

"Oh? How so?"

"She doesn't harbor feelings of love for me; however, she is undeniably devoted to our relationship. I have told her that she may find her enjoyment with other men if she so wishes, but she merely rolls her eyes at me and tells me that she will not be seeking her releases among other men."

Kagome nodded, taking in everything that he had to say before vocalizing, "Hm…"

"Hm what?" Sesshoumaru asked quirking his brow at her.

"Well, I was just thinking…maybe she's gay?" Kagome shrugged, gifting Sesshoumaru with her inebriated wisdom.

That statement caused Sesshoumaru to throw his head back and laugh out loud for the first time in years.

Kagome looked over at him and grinned; he looked quite stunning while he was laughing. The moon gave his silver locks an even deeper glow and his fangs shined in the moonlight. She continued to watch as he persisted in his mirth, when it looked as if he was not stopping, a slight scowl crossed her face.

Sesshoumaru's chuckling eased as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. He looked over at the woman who gave him such amusement and immediately stopped the remnants of his enjoyment.

"What?" he asked taking in her annoyed features.

"Are you mocking me?"

"Don't be foolish, you simply struck my funny bone. I can't for the life of me remember _anyone_ suggesting what you did."

"Think about it Sesshoumaru. You have hundreds of women throwing themselves at you on a daily basis, you said yourself that your fiancé is not seeking to find her jollies with any other _man_. Now, did she say 'man', or did she say 'anyone else'?"

Sesshoumaru thought on this for a moment and lightly tapped his index finger against his chin.

"Now that you mention it, she does have this "friend" that she sees quite often. I do believe she has even stayed with her overnight a few time. Funny; that didn't catch my attention until now."

Kagome giggled at the look of realizations crossed over his normally stoic features. A cold breeze kissed her skin and she wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. Sesshoumaru saw this and began to take off his coat.

"Where are my manners?" he asked as he removed his jacket. "I clearly cannot think straight around you," he added playfully.

He wrapped the coat around her shoulders and situated it so that it would keep her warm. Her hair was flattened between her back and the coat, so he gently swept his hands over her neck to free her locks.

Kagome looked up at him and blushed, but he was intently looking at strands of hair that had made their way in her face.

Sesshoumaru lifted his hand and tenderly tucked the hair behind her ear. His claws lightly scraped her scalp and Kagome closed her eyes at the feeling. Such a gesture was not usually given to her and she reveled in the intimacy of it.

Kagome was used to men talking sweet things to her; she knew she was beautiful in a unique sort of way. Men that wanted to be with her always promised her money and gifts, but she wanted none of that. She wanted the gentle touch that came with two people loving each other; the closeness one could only get with a partner.

The things that her current boyfriend had given and shown her when they first started dating.

Thinking of him brought Kagome out of her partially alcohol induced trance and she saw that Sesshoumaru had not yet taken his eyes off of her. When she looked at him, his own eyes held an expression that she did not know. She was embarrassed to think that she was letting this known playboy work his wiles on her like he had so many others before.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

_Was she okay?_

"Yes. Yes I'm fine, just a bit tired I guess," Kagome answered.

He nodded and held out his arm for her to take.

"Come," said Sesshoumaru. "I'll take you back to your cabin."

Kagome took his arm and they casually strolled down the corridors. There were still some late-night walkers that were also taking advantage of the quiet. A small group of women that Sesshoumaru had had the dissatisfaction of meeting a few time before were huddled around the stairs like vultures: yes they knew where his room was and now they flocked near it every chance they got.

Sesshoumaru bent down to whisper in Kagome's ear. "Perhaps if I gave them the autograph they've desired they would leave me alone?"

Kagome gave an apologetic smile and a non-committed shrug as her answer. Sesshoumaru sighed and released Kagome's arm to go and try and appease his adoring fans.

When the women saw him, they immediately encircled him so that he could not get away. Kagome leaned against the wall watching him as he signed the many pieces of paper that they handed him. Some of the women tried to touch him, but he gave them a look to back off which the justly followed. Still, that did not hinder them to get his autograph.

Kagome watched for five minutes as Sesshoumaru patiently, with skilled practice, thwarted the women's' efforts to seduce him to their rooms. When the last piece of paper was signed, he was more than ready to leave.

"I thank you ladies for your support. Please enjoy the rest of your trip; don't let my presence here deter you from taking in the rest of the sights."

Having their wants sated, for the time being anyway, the women reluctantly left to return to their own rooms.

Sesshoumaru walked back over to Kagome who was nearly asleep standing up. She felt him approach her side and she opened up her tired eyes.

"I must say you handled that quite nicely," Kagome said.

"Yes, well, it comes with the station. My father was quite the ladies man you know," Sesshoumaru said as they continued their trek to Kagome's room.

"Ah, so that's where you get it. I should have known," she replied.

"He taught me everything he knew; the rest came naturally," he gloated.

"I'm sure it did," she said with finality as they came to her door.

"Thank you for tonight Taisho-sama," Kagome said.

"Back to last names I see. The alcohol must be wearing off," he said.

"I guess it is. Well, thank you again."

"It was my pleasure Kagome. I will see you tomorrow."

Kagome took off his jacket and handed it back to him. He accepted it with a slight nod, but did not make to move away. Instead he leaned in and brushed his lips across her cheek. Kagome instinctively closed her eyes and smiled as he placed the kiss in her now blushing cheek. He leaned in a bit further to whisper in her ear.

"Good night," was all Sesshoumaru said. But the way he said it left goose bumps on Kagome's skin.

"Good night…Sesshoumaru," Kagome replied as he walked away.

* * *

**So, we are starting to see some mutual attraction from our two characters and some people who want to potentially ruin it for them. I hope that you liked the chapter!**

**Again, thank you for your reviews, I'm keeping a steady pace with this one, my other story, UC, has hit a dry spell, so it's coming along _slowly_. **


	3. You don't know me, I don't know you

**_Thank you so much for all the reviews, they made me smile! In case anyone was wondering, I am basing my fanfic off of the 1957 version of An Affair to Remember. Again, you, my lovely readers, are awesome!_**

* * *

The next day found Sesshoumaru wandering the decks near the pool. He had awoken from one of the most pleasant sleeps of his long life. Dreams of an ebony haired woman danced through his subconscious and he did not waste a minute to set off and find her. 

As he walked along the deck near the pool, he allowed his gaze to shift over the many forms of the bathing beauties that had positioned themselves on the sun chairs. Most had sunglasses and hats covering their faces, which allowed him to openly admire the many sets of long legs that were lined up along the side of the pool. However, when his eyes caught sight of the woman that haunted his dreams that night, he blocked out the rest.

Walking slowly up to where Kagome sat, he let his eyes travel up her long, slender legs. Like many other women out today, Kagome had her face covered with her hat; but Sesshoumaru knew it was here.

Making it to her side, he made himself known.

"I never forget a face," Sesshoumaru played.

He watched as her form stiffened a bit before she slowly raised her hat from her face.

"Cute," she said with a smirk.

Sesshoumaru took a seat in the chair next to her and she sat up straighter so they were at a more even height.

"You know," Sesshoumaru started, "the sun deck is a great place to pick up women."

"Oh really?" Kagome asked.

"Indeed. Didn't your mother ever warn you about sun decks?" he asked.

"Yes, she told me to watch out for…freckles," Kagome stated with a smile.

Sesshoumaru gave her a slow one-over. "Any place in particular?"

Kagome's eyes grew wide and a blush crept over her face. She was about to reprimand him for his perverted line of thinking, but before she could, the messenger boy of the ship approached them.

"Taisho-sama, I have a message for you that has been radioed to us," the young man said as he handed Sesshoumaru the slip of paper who stood to accept it.

"Thank you. Please excuse me for a moment Ms. Higurashi," Sesshoumaru said with a small bow toward her.

"Ms. Higurashi?" the messenger boy said turning back to them from a few steps away.

"Yes, that's me," answered Kagome as she also stood.

"I have a message for you as well," the boy replied also handing Kagome a piece of paper before walking away.

"If you'll excuse _me_ Taisho-sama," stated Kagome mockingly as she turned to read her note.

The two of them read over the messages silently to themselves and then sighed simultaneously. Hearing the in sync expressions, they turned to look at one another.

"From him?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Kagome nodded. "From her?"

Sesshoumaru nodded as well. They stayed that way for quite some time, both trying to think of what should be said to make this uncomfortable situation go away. Luckily Sesshoumaru, being the always quick thinking Kagome had come to know, broke the uncomfortable silence that seemed to follow them around.

"Now then where were we? I do believe you were about to tell me where you were born."

"I was born in Osaka," Kagome spurted out quickly.

"And from there?" he urged her on.

"Well, from there my family moved to Gifu where my mother got a job as a nurse maid; but after her patient passed away from age we moved to live with my grandfather in Tokyo. My life was as normal as it could be for a girl living on a shrine; it wasn't so bad."

"Go on…"

"When I was old enough I moved out on my own and got a job singing in a night club from ten to three in the morning-the manager used to chase me around his office till about four and then I would go home. The job helped pay for my schooling, which I went to from eight in the morning to two in the afternoon. The club is where I met my boyfriend…"

"Ah yes, the mysterious boyfriend," Sesshoumaru cut in.

"Yes. He said that I didn't belong in a place like that."

"And just where did he say you belonged?"

"Well, he said that I, um, belonged in a place like, uh, Izu Peninsula with a lovely view of..."

"Of him?"

"Well, yes, sort of…"

"And he was indeed in business?"

"In a way, yes…"

"And living in a grand condo on the Izu Peninsula was to help you better yourself?"

"I guess. I studied very hard."

"Did you study singing?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Yes, that and other things as well," said Kagome.

"All of this in order for you to one day be a charming house wife?"

"I think that was the general idea, yes," she sighed.

"And then, no doubt, you discovered he was married," Sesshoumaru guessed.

"No not married at the time; they were separated," she defended.

And yet again they were left with a less-than-comfortable silence. This time however, it was Kagome who took the liberty of breaking it.

"I suppose that bring us up to date. My life is now an open book."

"Oh come on, that was only one page in your book," Sesshoumaru berated.

"No, that is the _only_ page," Kagome said.

"Excuse me!" a voice said off to the side of them.

Kagome and Sesshoumaru turned to look for the owner of the voice. A photographer had called out to them and when they turned fully he raised his camera to take a picture of them.

Sesshoumaru was ready and struck his trademark business pose while Kagome, who had been a little surprised to have a camera pointed at her, stood there gaping with her mouth open.

"Thank you very much," the photographer said as he began to walk away from them.

Kagome was taken aback a little. She opened and closed her mouth a few times while pointing at the retreating photographer. "Oh, that's-that's bad, that's not good-um…"

Sesshoumaru looked at her and saw her semi-panicked look.

"Oh-allow me to handle it," he quickly said heading towards the photographer.

"Excuse me, that's a very nice camera, might I see it?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Oh, yes of course Taisho-sama," replied the photographer.

Sesshoumaru took the camera from the man and looked it over quickly before opening the back and taking the film out. He walked towards the edge of the boat again.

"Takes clear pictures, yes?" Sesshoumaru continued.

"Y-yes," the photographer said before he saw what Sesshoumaru was doing. "Oh please Taisho-sama, don't do that!"

Sesshoumaru took out the film the rest of the way from the camera and handed it to Kagome from behind his back. She took it from his hand and nonchalantly tossed it overboard. She looks at the photographer who is now glaring at her, and she shrugs. The photographer gives her and Sesshoumaru a nasty look and then turns around and storms off.

Kagome sighed at the nearly avoided mess. "I'm sorry about that, but I don't think it would benefit us to be seen together. It would not matter if we weren't doing anything inappropriate, people would talk. This should probably be good-bye."

Sesshoumaru allowed a frown to cross his features. "Do not tell me you are afraid?"

Kagome looked at him. "Of you? No, of course not."

"But we are still stuck on this ship together. There are, after all, at least five days left of the trip."

"I'm sure you'll find something, or someone, to occupy your time with. You could take walks in the sunshine," Kagome suggested.

"Perhaps. However, what happens if it rains?"

"I'm sorry Sesshoumaru, it's just no good," Kagome said in defeat.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her in annoyance. "It is not good for _you_ in particular."

Kagome returned his glare. "You're right; it is no good for me. If I were to be seen in a picture with you it would be news, and _not_ the good kind. It would be better if we were to go our separate ways."

Sesshoumaru reluctantly nods and then they walk their separate ways.

Kagome walks towards one of the stair cases and sees the photographer bent over his camera. She sees that he is inspecting the pictures he just took and her eyes grow wide when she sees that some of them are of her and Sesshoumaru.

Kagome turns and sees Sesshoumaru bent over the railing and she calls out to him as quietly as she can so as to not alert the photographer; thank goodness for demon hearing.

Sesshoumaru hears her and walks over to where she is standing. When she points to the photographer Sesshoumaru nods and walks over to him. He then grabs the other roll of film that is in the photographer's hand.

"You should not test me," Sesshoumaru threatens the man. In return the photographer says nothing as he watches Sesshoumaru once again hand over the film to Kagome. She walks to the edge and throws that one over as well.

"See?" Sesshoumaru says, "Now it is no good."

Sesshoumaru gives a small bow to Kagome and walks away. The angry picture taker glares at his back and then at Kagome as she too makes her exit.

Little did they know that the film they threw overboard was not the film he used to take the pictures of them. There was no way he was going to mess up his job twice; he was offered way too much money to fail.

The man made his own way around the ship and came to a room at the end of one of the long halls. He took a cautious glance over his shoulder and then knocked twice, paused, and then knocked four times. He could hear the turning of locks and then the door was opened only a crack.

"You have them?" a deep voice asked the photographer.

"Yes, although it is not as many as you would have liked. They were pretty adamant about not being seen together," the photographer replied.

"No doubt; they are both involved with others. It would prove most inconvenient to either of them if rumors were to spread now wouldn't it," the man in the room said.

"I suppose. Am I going to get paid now or what? These pictures aren't free you know."

"Of course: my apologies. I assume this is enough for your troubles?" the man asked as he handed the photographer a wad of cash.

The man eyed the money and greedily grabbed it. "This will do. Please let me know if you have any more jobs for me Nakamura-san."

"You have done very well for me; please call me Naraku," he said with a wicked smile.

* * *

A bit down and out, Sesshoumaru headed towards the bar to find solitude in a stiff drink. Now how was he going to spend his time? Kagome was keeping him very much entertained, and it was a loss that he did not want to admit to. 

Sesshoumaru made his way up to the bartender. "Dry martini please with a Spanish olive," he requested.

The bartender nodded and began mixing his drink.

"You wouldn't happen to have a cigarette would you?" Sesshoumaru asked him.

"There is a vending machine just around the corner," the bartender offered.

Sesshoumaru nodded and began to walk away. Before he did though, he asked, "Do you make a champagne cocktail?"

"Of course sir."

"I'll have one of those instead," Sesshoumaru said and then left to go get his cigarettes.

As soon as he left Kagome entered the bar.

"I'll have a dry martini with a Spanish olive please," she requested.

"Yes ma'am."

"On second thought," she spoke, "you wouldn't happen to make a champagne cocktail would you?"

"Of course," the bartender said with a smile.

Kagome smiled back and watched as he made two of the drinks she just ordered. He sat one of them in front of her and then the other glass at the seat right next to hers. She looks at it curiously, but then picks up her drink and begins to sip it.

Sesshoumaru re-enters the bar and then picks up his own glass. Kagome turns to face him and she smiles. He gives her a small smile in return and they tip their glasses towards each other's and drink.

"You know, I changed my table to a table for one," he said suddenly.

"As did I," Kagome said.

A woman enters the bar and leans over to hear their conversation. Ah, the gossip she hears on these trips.

Kagome sees the woman trying to eavesdrop and then takes a conscious look around her. She notices that a few other people are also looking at them. Kagome absently runs a hand through her hair and turns back to Sesshoumaru.

"Do you speak French?" Kagome asks.

"I speak it fluently," he replied.

So, in French she tells him, "Let's leave from here then. Too many people are taking it upon themselves to make our business their own."

She gives the woman next to her a dirty look and then sticks her fingers in her champagne cocktail. She then flicks her fingers at the woman, splashing alcohol on the woman's face before she and Sesshoumaru leave the bar, walking once again in opposite directions of each other.

* * *

Later that evening Sesshoumaru made his way grudgingly to the dining hall. Dinner was not going to be the same without Kagome keeping him company. Like usual, there were quite a number of people within the dining hall, and he had become the center of attention as soon as he walked through the door. However, unlike usual, he was dining alone. 

He is shown to a booth with a tall back so that he could have his privacy, facing the back of the room and is left with his menu. Sesshoumaru sighed quietly to himself; he never thought he would enjoy the company of one woman so much as he did Kagome's.

Not long after Sesshoumaru was seated, Kagome walked through the door, also gaining the attention of a few people. She nervously fidgeted and waited for the host to show her to her table. She was led towards the back of the hall, and was seated at a table facing the front; unknowingly, she and Sesshoumaru were back to back.

By now, the two of them were the center of everyone's attention. They were each looking at their own menu, clueless as to the other's presence. Kagome, feeling eyes on her, turned slowly to face the room. She saw that everyone was looking her way and that a few people were smiling knowingly and whispering to each other.

Other people were not being so polite and they were pointing, while other laughed behind their hands.

Sesshoumaru also felt many people were staring and did the same thing. He wanted to growl at the sight before him; couldn't these people just let him dine in peace? Obviously not!

Sesshoumaru caught the gaze of Myoga Nakamura's son, Naraku and narrowed his eyes at the amusement he saw play across the man's features. Naraku grinned like a Cheshire cat and raised his glass while letting his gaze shift to the table behind Sesshoumaru.

Catching on, Sesshoumaru turned to see what or who was behind him. He almost wanted to laugh out loud when he saw Kagome doing her best to hide behind her menu to avoid everyone's stares. She looked as though she was absolutely humiliated, and he could not say that he blamed her.

He casually cleared his throat to gain her attention and he actually chuckled lightly when he saw her back stiffen.

Kagome turned around to face the person behind her and slumped her shoulders.

"This is what we would call fooling the world," she said to him.

"Oh yes, it is working wonderfully," Sesshoumaru agreed with no lack of sarcasm.

"Everyone is looking at us; this is so embarrassing!"

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said this is embarrassing! I think I should go," Kagome said as she stood to leave.

Sesshoumaru stood as well, there was no reason for her to have to leave; he would allow her to enjoy her dinner.

He started walking and passed her, but she gently grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"You don't have to go, I'll go," Sesshoumaru told her.

"No, no. Just let me go, it's okay, I haven't even ordered yet," Kagome said as she walked away.

Sesshoumaru was about to go back to his seat when he noticed that Kagome had accidentally left her purse behind. He picked it up and looked around for her, but she had already left the hall. Not knowing exactly what to do with it, Sesshoumaru tucked it away in his inner coat pocket and went back to his seat.

Sesshoumaru desperately wanted to rub the bridge of his nose where he could feel a headache forming. Yes, this was _so_ much better than being seen together.

He picked up his glass when the host came up to him.

"I'm here to get Ms. Higurashi's purse," the host told him.

"Oh, of course," Sesshoumaru said as he stood and took the small purse out of his inner pocket.

The host looked at him a little skeptically.

"You certainly do not believe I make a habit of taking women's purses do you?" Sesshoumaru asked disbelievingly.

"Of course not Taisho-sama," the host said as he took the purse from Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru then reached for his own wallet in order to leave a tip on the table so that he may return to his room. The host reached out to grab it as well.

"No, no. This is _my_ wallet," Sesshoumaru nearly snarled at the man.

The host bowed in apology and left to return Kagome's purse to her. Sesshoumaru left not long after, highly upset and hungry, listening as the people of the dining hall whispered and laughed at he and Kagome for their not-so-discreet attempt to avoid each other. So far this was the worst day of the cruise yet.

* * *

The next morning Kagome awoke feeling refreshed. After last night's stunt in the dining hall she had returned to her room and slept off her embarrassment. Feeling good, she decided that she would take a swim in the pool before too many people were up and about. 

She made her way to the pool and took off the robe that she was wearing to reveal a nice white swimsuit. The pool was deserted, to which she was grateful, so she took her chance and climbed onto the diving board.

With a dive that would make her old swim instructor proud, she entered the water.

While she was swimming beneath the surface of the water, Sesshoumaru made his own way to the pool.

He, unlike Kagome, did not have such a great night. His sleep was insufficient and there were people knocking on his door all night long wanting to ask him about his "relationship" with Kagome Higurashi. All of this added to the fact that he was too stressed out to eat last night, made him one cranky and irritable demon business lord.

Upon seeing what he assumed to be a deserted pool, Sesshoumaru dropped his robe to reveal his swim trunks. He stretched once and then climbed onto the diving board, and with surprisingly less caress than Kagome, dove into the pool.

Sesshoumaru swam under water for a bit until he hit something hard. He emerged quickly and looked around only to come face to face with a stunned Kagome.

"Well, well. What a surprise; seems as if I'm seeing even more of you lately," Sesshoumaru said to Kagome.

She shook her head in exasperation. She was about to say something when the horn on the boat roared.

"We're going to Honolulu. Are you going on shore?" Kagome asked him.

She watched as his back stiffened a little and she smiled. "Anyone I know?" she questioned.

"I may be calling on a friend or two," Sesshoumaru answered her.

Kagome clicked her tongue at him. "You really get around a lot, don't you Taisho-sama?"

"Would you like to accompany me ashore?" he asked her.

Kagome quirked her eyebrow at him in silent question.

"Completely innocent I assure you," he placated.

"Oh alright, but no funny stuff or I'm leaving," Kagome said as she smiled at him.

The two of them swam to the edge of the pool and went back to their rooms to prepare themselves for a trip on the island. Kagome could only shake her head and wonder what she just got herself into.

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**_As always, I greatly appreciate reviews and constructive critisism; so please feel free to give me either. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!_**

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	4. Home Away From Home

**_Hello again! Here's another chapter; thank you so much for all the reviews you have all given me, I love reading them, they make my day! I hope you like the chapter, we'll be getting to the good stuff soon, I promise. Relationships take time to develop! Happy reading!_**

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About half an hour later, most of the boat's occupants went ashore to shop, eat, and seek other means of entertainment.

Sesshoumaru had informed Kagome that while on one of his many travels around the world, he had purchased a home up in the mountains on the outskirts of Honolulu. He had called for transportation when they reached shore and were currently making their way to his home away from home.

As they made their way up the mountain side, Kagome was astounded by the many beautiful plants that surrounded them. She had never been to Hawaii, but it was indeed the island paradise that people had made it out to be.

"Sesshoumaru this is beautiful!" Kagome said as his island bungalow came into view.

The place was grand with all of the tropical plants that lined the borders. The home itself was not overly large, but it was certainly nothing to scoff at. Cast iron fences lined the property with wild vines growing on them for privacy. The home itself was painted white with a light blue trim and it had a large porch which wrapped around the outside.

The car stopped and they both stepped out and made their way to the house. Kagome was afraid to blink, lest she miss something. She had never before seen such a sight as this. When she looked out at the way they came, she was awarded with a spectacular view of the ocean.

"I can see why this place is your home away from home," Kagome said quietly. "How do you keep this place so well managed-oh I guess you have people who keep it up for you?"

"In a way-" he began to answer.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" someone called out to him.

Sesshoumaru turned and allowed a smile to cross his face. A young girl came bounding toward him at full speed and threw herself against his legs. Kagome looked on as Sesshoumaru picked up the small girl and twirled her in the air once.

"Rin, it has been a while since I have last seen you. You have grown," Sesshoumaru said to her.

"Oh yes Sesshoumaru-sama, I'm almost seven years old now!" Rin said proudly.

"That is quite old. I can only imagine how old your parents are…"

"I heard that Sesshoumaru," came another voice.

Kagome turned to see two people walk out of the house towards them. One was a handsome man with shoulder-length brown hair tied up in a low pony tail; while the other was a nice looking woman with long brown hair that went down to her mid back. They were holding hands and smiling as they walked towards them.

"Miroku, Sango, you two are looking well," Sesshoumaru greeted them.

The two people bowed low to Sesshoumaru in greetings before Miroku looked over to Kagome.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru-sama, who is this beautiful woman you have with you?" Miroku said as he made his way towards Kagome.

Sesshoumaru stepped to the side of Kagome and put his arm around her shoulders, effectively halting Miroku in his advance.

"This would be Ms. Kagome Higurashi, and you would be unwise to turn on your charms around her," Sesshoumaru threatened.

Miroku's eyes widened and he quickly retreated to the safety of his place next to Sango. Sango looked over at him and rolled his eyes; he was never one to pass up being able to man-handle a beautiful woman. As much as she loved him, he was such a pervert.

Breaking the tension that she could feel in the air, Kagome commented on this beautiful place.

"Taisho-sama, this place is immaculate. Are you two the one's who keep this place looking the way it does?" Kagome question Sango and Miroku.

"Yes we are, thanking for the compliment," Sango said. "Working on the landscaping is a small price to pay for being able to live here for free."

Kagome started at this. Sesshoumaru let them stay here for free, just to work on the landscaping? She smirked and looked over to Sesshoumaru who looked as if he wanted to strangle Sango, no doubt for making him seem soft.

"Yes, well," Sesshoumaru said as he cleared his throat, "it is very hard to find good help these days and I am hardly here anyway."

"Perhaps you would like to give Kagome a tour around your home Sesshoumaru-sama?" Sango suggested.

"Indeed I would," Sesshoumaru said, "thank you Sango."

He grabbed Kagome's hand and led her away to tour the grounds. He had many plants and statues here that he was proud of, many of which came from his trips to different countries.

Sesshoumaru led her down a small graveled path to the rear of the house. Behind a small gate it opened up to reveal a jungle-like haven that stole Kagome's breath away.

"Sesshoumaru, th-this place…it's wonderful," she whispered.

He nodded both in agreement and thanks; it took him many years to get this place just the way he wanted it.

"It feels like an entirely different world here, it's nothing like I've ever seen," Kagome said in awe, "It's so peaceful."

"It is my world and that of Miroku, Sango, and young Rin," Sesshoumaru told her.

"So, will you tell me a little bit about them? How did you meet them?" asked Kagome.

"I met Sango while at a business conference in Hilo. She was the executive assistant to one of the woman whom I was to do business with-"

"Business, right…" Kagome interrupted.

"Hn. Anyways, after the conference I saw the two women arguing about something or other, and my soon-to-be business partner struck Sango. Sango in turn gave the woman three broken ribs and a black eye; she's been working for me ever since."

"Impressive."

"Yes, quite. Miroku, on the other hand, I met through Sango. She found him one day trying to con his way into one of the hotels I own by saying he "knew" the owner of the hotel personally."

"He didn't?!" Kagome said incredulously.

"He did, and for reasons I still don't understand, Sango helped him and they have been together ever since. When they had Rin, I suggested that they move from their downtown apartment here, to take care of my lands of course."

"Of course."

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" came the high-pitched yell of Rin. The little girl once again made a flying leap into Sesshoumaru's arms and squeezed him tightly around the neck.

Not long after, she was followed by Sango who was shaking her head while a light smile played on her face.

"Sorry Sesshoumaru-sama," Sango said, "she just really missed you, it was all I could do to get her to not break the door down to get to you."

"There is no need to apologize; she has the tenacity of her mother," Sesshoumaru replied.

"Ha ha. So, how come you didn't tell us you were coming, we would have had things better prepared for you."

"I wanted it to be a surprise?" Sesshoumaru said unsurely.

"You forgot didn't you?"

"I did not feel it was important to inform you of my arrival."

"Yeah sure. So Miroku tells me you're getting married?" Sango asked a bit perplexed.

"Married? I don't know…have you lost weight, you are looking thinner," he dodged.

Sango laughed lightly and shook her head. She looked towards Kagome who wore a blush on her face. "So, is this your fiancé?"

"No, she's not my fiancée, I met Kagome on the cruise ship," Sesshoumaru clarified.

"Oh, too bad. You're quite lovely Kagome, I'm sure we'll get along well," Sango said as she smiled.

"Thank you for the compliment. You seem very nice yourself," replied Kagome.

"If you'll excuse me, I think I need to go lay down for a while," Sango said.

"Are you feeling alright?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"Yes, I'm fine," Sango said with a grin. "I just need to get all the rest I can get before the baby comes."

"Congratulations!" Kagome said to her.

"Yes, congratulations to you and Miroku; the two of you make wonderful parents," Sesshoumaru offered.

"Thank you very much. Kagome, may I ask…are you from Japan?"

"Yes I am."

"I miss Japan, I haven't been there since before we had Rin. Miroku and I went there on our honeymoon. We were both born there, but our families moved here for one reason or another," Sango sighed in remembrance. "We couldn't have asked for a better home though, we both love it here, and Rin loves all the flowers."

"Yes it is very nice here," Kagome agreed. "Um, may I please use the restroom?"

"Of course Kagome," Sesshoumaru spoke. "Just go through the back door and make a left; it is the fourth door on the right hand side."

"Thank you. If I'm not back in five minutes, send a search party," Kagome said as she made her way to the house.

"I like her Sesshoumaru, she seems genuine," Sango said once Kagome was out of sight.

"She is; I've quite enjoyed our time together," Sesshoumaru told her.

"So," Sango said with a sigh, "tell me what your fiancée is like. Are you looking forward to finally getting married?"

"Sango, you know my life: nothing is about what I want, it's what best for the company."

"You can't possibly be serious?! Sesshoumaru-sama, you're getting _married_! That's a huge commitment. It should be with someone you care for, not just because it's best for the company. I'm sure your father-"

"Do me a favor and don't bring my father into this conversation. If I hadn't talked him into giving me the company on his death-bed, Inuyasha would have run it into the ground by now and all of father's hard work would have been for nil."

"I'm sorry Sesshoumaru-sama; you've just done so much for my family and me…I just want to see you happy."

Sesshoumaru said nothing.

"Look, I'm going to go make some tea, Miroku should be out in the dojo if you need a way to vent your frustrations. He's been a brat lately anyway, he could use a beating," Sango said before walking to the house, holding Rin's hand.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and sighed before cracking his knuckles and heading for the dojo.

Sango got to the house and put Rin down for a nap. She saw that Kagome was just coming out of the bathroom and decided to get to know her a bit better. "Would you like some tea Kagome-san?"

"Oh, yes please I would love some," Kagome replied.

Sango nodded and the two of them went to the kitchen. Sango busied herself making the tea and told Kagome to have a seat at the table. Like everywhere else in the house, the kitchen had big windows that had a wonderful view. The view from the kitchen was that of the mountain side, green plants as far as she could see.

"As rich as Sesshoumaru-sama is, you'd think we'd have a maid or something. He actually insisted that we do, but Miroku and I like being able to do things on our own," Sango said as she finished the tea.

Kagome heard Sango, but she noticed a beautiful painting on the wall of a giant white dog that looked to be dancing across the sky in the clouds.

"Do you like the painting?" Sango asked as she saw what held Kagome's attention.

"Yes I do, it's very detailed. Who painted it?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama did actually."

"Taisho-sama did this?!" Kagome said disbelievingly.

Sango laughed at the expression on Kagome's face. "Yes he did, he painted it for Rin when he found out I was pregnant with her."

"But-but it's so good," Kagome said.

"Yes, he paints a lot; he's really good at it."

"Oh, I guess that came out bad; it's just that, I had no way of knowing," Kagome said apologetically.

"Yeah well, he doesn't really boast about his painting skills; he's his own worst critic. He hasn't painted anything after he did this which is unfortunate."

"That really is a shame; I'd like to see what else he could do."

"Besides," Sango said lightening the mood, "he's always so busy working; he hardly has time for anything anymore."

Kagome nodded in understanding. She went to brush her hair out of her face but accidentally hit the cup of tea that Sango had placed before her, sending tea spilling across the table.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! Where are the towels, I'll get them and clean it up," Kagome said as she stood.

Sango began picking up the things on the table as she pointed Kagome to a cabinet near the stove. Kagome went where she was directed and grabbed a few towels and then returned to clean up the mess she made.

"I'm so sorry; I can't believe I did that! I'm so clumsy."

"That's okay; it's not a big deal. Thank you for helping me clean it up," Sango said shrugging.

"Why wouldn't I help you clean it, I should be thanking you instead," said Kagome.

"Well, most of the women that Sesshoumaru-sama has…known, haven't really fit the description of someone who would do housework," Sango admitted.

"In my family, my mother made sure that we did our share of the housework. She was a single parent, so she was a very busy person. If we didn't do our chores, we didn't get to see the outside of our rooms for a week."

"Come on Kagome," Sango said as they finished cleaning the mess, "let's go sit in the living room where we can talk more comfortably."

Kagome nodded and followed Sango into a bright room. The room, like the house itself, was beautiful, and held many different collectables. There was a big couch near an even bigger fireplace, and a baby grand piano in the corner near a set of French doors that led to the front of the house.

They took a seat on the couch and Sango put her head back to rest on the back of the couch.

"You know, we may not seem like it, but we're really excited to see Sesshoumaru-sama again; especially Rin. Rin loves him so much; she's the only one I've seen that has been able to make Sesshoumaru-sama lose his businessman bravado."

"She's a very adorable little girl," Kagome complimented.

"Thank you. You know, when Miroku and I first moved in here, Sesshoumaru-sama was such a different person. He just seemed free, he didn't seem so stuck up; but I guess the business world will do that to a person. He even used to play the piano," Sango said gesturing to the piano behind them. "Then he took up painting. I'm so jealous; he is just good at everything he does."

"He's a jack of all trades I guess," Kagome said.

"The bad thing is everything comes too easy for him. He gets bored and is attracted to the art he isn't practicing, wants to visit the places he hasn't been, and wants to be with the girl he hasn't met," Sango said wistfully.

"I probably shouldn't have met him," said Kagome with a grin.

"No, I think you're different. You don't seem to be the type that is attracted to things like money or fame. Miroku and I have been worried about him…"

"How come?" asked Kagome with concern.

"We're just afraid that he's working himself into an early grave, just like his father. He's always so serious when it comes to life; he never seems to have fun. However, when we saw him with you, he seemed different; happier. It made us worry less for him, if only for a moment."

"Well I'm glad that I could ease your worries. I wish I felt the same way."

"Don't worry, you'll find the confidence you need when you need it most. There's nothing wrong with Sesshoumaru-sama that a good woman won't fix," Sango said playfully.

Kagome blushed at the hidden meaning behind Sango's words. For someone so young, Sango seemed to have a lot of insight into the minds of others.

Sesshoumaru as well as a tired, and a bit disheveled, Miroku walked into the front room at that moment. Miroku walked to the couch and plopped tiredly next to Sango and then laid his head on her shoulder.

"I guess you didn't take it easy on him?" asked an amused Sango.

"Of course I did, he's just out of shape. What _have_ you been feeding him Sango?" Sesshoumaru replied.

"Oh just the usual. He tends to overeat a lot though," Sango said as she ran her fingers through Miroku's hair.

"So how have you ladies been? Getting along?" Miroku asked.

"Like you wouldn't imagine," Kagome answered.

"I bet Sango has been doing most of the talking," Sesshoumaru stated.

"Hey, I don't talk that much," Sango defended herself.

Sesshoumaru and Miroku both gave her a look that said they clearly disagreed with her.

"Fine, I did all the talking," Sango relented.

"And just what have you been talking about?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"You," came the short answer from Sango.

"Nothing but good things I hope," said Sesshoumaru.

Now it was Kagome who spoke up. "Only that when you don't get your way you kick and scream and get red in the face."

"I only did that once, and that was at the entertainment of Rin. If I'd have known that would come back to haunt me…"

"Oh don't worry," Kagome started, "I told her you don't do that anymore. Now when you don't get your way you simply threaten people."

"Hn. Just what _have _you two been talking about? Sango, you know I don't like to be left in the dark."

"Would you like some tea Sesshoumaru-sama?" Sango asked instead of answering him.

He resisted a sigh and then nodded in the affirmative. Sango stood up to go get him a cup of tea from the kitchen.

Miroku, who had been nearly passed out on the couch, noticed that Sesshoumaru held a package in his hands and decided to ask about it. "What do you have there Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru brought the package to him and handed it to Miroku. "It is merely a gift for Rin," he answered. "You two may open it if you like. I would like to know what you think of it."

Sango came in and handed Sesshoumaru the cup of tea while Miroku eyed the package. She sat down next to him while Miroku made his way through the wrapping. When he finally got to the gift he nearly choked on the lack of air. Sango saw it and was almost in tears.

Out of curiosity, Kagome looked over Sango's shoulder to see what it was. She gasped when Miroku held it at arms length.

It was a beautiful painting of one of Japan's most prestigious gardens. The colors were vibrant and the detailing was exquisite. There were so many different dimensions in the painting that one had to look over it a couple of times to not miss anything.

"Sesshoumaru-sama this is amazing! It's so detailed, it doesn't look like you left anything out!" an emotional Sango exclaimed.

"Isn't this the garden that your father funded so it could be constructed?" Miroku asked. At Sesshoumaru's nod he was even more amazed. "You said you hadn't been there in years; how did you capture it so perfectly?"

"I painted it from memory. It used to be a special place for my mother and I to go."

Kagome was speechless; the garden painting was incredible. "I can't believe you painted this from your memory."

Sango looked at Kagome with tears in her eyes. "I told you he was talented."

Miroku gently placed the painting on a nearby table. A whistle from the boat could be heard faintly from inside the house and there was a collective sigh.

"I guess that means we should be going," Sesshoumaru spoke up.

"Oh do you have to Sesshoumaru-sama. It seems like we haven't seen you in so long," Miroku all but whined.

As if in answer to Miroku's question, the boat whistle sounded again. Miroku visibly hunched his shoulders.

"Does that answer your question?" Sesshoumaru said.

"Will you at least play us a song before you go Sesshoumaru-sama? Who know when we will see you again, and I have wanted to hear you play the piano," Sango pleaded.

"Sango…" Sesshoumaru started.

"Oh come on Sesshoumaru," Kagome said. "Please?"

Sesshoumaru heaved a sigh and walked towards the piano in defeat. "I know you two probably planned this. Just keep in mind that I have not played in a while and I am doing this as a request. One bad word and I stop."

Sesshoumaru cracked his knuckles as any cliché pianist would do and begins to lightly tap the keys. Although he hasn't played in a while, the tune sounds beautiful and Kagome can't help but start to hum to the song.

Sesshoumaru gave her an approving nod and motions her to the songbook resting on the piano. Kagome picked it up and looked over the words as he began the second verse of the song.

Miroku and Sango sit up against the back of the couch and listen as Kagome starts singing along with Sesshoumaru's playing. Sango looked up to Miroku and gave him a knowing smile which he returned. They looked back to Sesshoumaru and Kagome as they finished the song.

Once again, the boat whistle sounds, informing them that they need to get back.

"Oh," Sango sighed, "I hate boat whistles. That was beautiful you guys, thank you so much for indulging me."

The group heads outside and is surprised to see that it is almost night time. A light breeze dances across them as they made their way down the stairs. Kagome stops to smell one of the flowers that had caught her attention when she arrived, trying to savor the fragrance.

"Do you like that flower?" Sango asked Kagome.

"Yes I do, I don't think I've ever seen one like it," Kagome replied.

"I'll send you some seeds for it one day, right now is not the best time to harvest it," Sango offered.

"Thank you so much," said Kagome. "It really was a pleasure to meet you, thanking for allowing me into your home."

"You are welcome here any time Kagome-san," Miroku interjected. "Even if Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't accompany you," he added with a smile.

Kagome nodded and then gave both Sango and Miroku a hug goodbye and climbed into the car that was waiting for her and Sesshoumaru to take them back to the boat.

Sesshoumaru turns to his two friends. "I will try and visit more often. I really would like to see more of Rin, and your new one, once he or she arrives."

"We would enjoy that immensely Sesshoumaru-sama, and so would Rin," Miroku said.

"Please tell her she can write to me any time. I promise I will write back," Sesshoumaru stated.

Miroku and Sango nod in acceptance and watch as Sesshoumaru and Kagome drive away.

"I like her," Miroku said suddenly.

"As do I," Sango agreed as they walked back to the house. With a smile she added, "I think Sesshoumaru-sama does too."

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**_Well, there you have it, another chapter down! As always, reviews are much appreciated. Thanks again for reading!_**


	5. From Champagne Cocktails to Beer

**_Here's a nice chapter full of good stuff! Thank you so much for all the reviews, I can't tell you how happy I am that you are enjoying this story!_**

**_On to the chapter!_**

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Sesshoumaru and Kagome made their way back the ship just as the sun set. Neither of them spoke as thoughts of the day's events played through their minds. Kagome allowed herself to smile when she thought about how friendly Sango had been; it had been a long time since she had any sort of female companionship, and she was determined to write to her when she got to Los Angeles. 

She had absolutely adored her time at Sesshoumaru's home away from home, as he called it, and was silently wishing to be able to visit again. In the few days that Kagome had known Sesshoumaru, she had never seen him act so freely. He was like a completely different person when he felt he did not need to posture himself in front of his "adoring fans".

Sesshoumaru had enjoyed his time back at a home he had not been to in over two years. It was nice to see that Sango, Miroku, and Rin were all doing well, and he could not be happier for them that they were expecting another baby.

Sesshoumaru had been pleasantly surprised when Sango took to Kagome so well, she never really liked the couple girlfriends that she had met before, and even though he and Kagome were not an item, it was still nice to know that Kagome could easily be accepted by the people whose opinions mattered most to him.

As they started to make their way up the ramp to the boat, Sesshoumaru heaved a great sigh. Kagome looked over to him and then looked at this line of sight to see that Myoga Nakamura and his wife were bounding toward them with huge grins stretched on their faces.

"Taisho-sama, Higurashi-san!" bellowed Myoga. "I have been in charge of putting together tonight's dinner entertainment and a little birdie of mine informed me that you are a singer Higurashi-san. Would you please do us the honor of singing a couple of tunes for us?"

The smiles on both Mr. and Mrs. Nakamura were contagious and Kagome found herself agreeing to sing for them.

"How could anyone refuse a request like that? Of course, I would be happy to sing," Kagome replied.

"Wonderful! You are truly wonderful Higurashi-san! Taisho-sama…" Mr. Nakamura started.

"Yes?"

"You wouldn't happen to have any hidden talents would you? We could use another act tonight."

"I apologize, but I am not a performer. My public encounters end with press conferences," Sesshoumaru quickly stated.

"We can understand that Taisho-sama, but if you could maybe just say a few words? You are quite infamous and it would help put to rest some of the rumors that are floating around here," Mrs. Nakamura bargained.

"Rumors?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Kagome cleared her throat. "Some of the passengers think you're a bit cold Taisho-sama."

Sesshoumaru shrugged at this. "I am not one to appease people's ill feelings towards me."

"Come now Taisho-sama, don't be a prude. What if I were to work out a performance for you and me? Would you agree to that?" Kagome asked.

"I am not a prude," Sesshoumaru elegantly pouted.

"Well, why don't you prove it then," challenged Kagome.

Sesshoumaru eyed the sneaky woman next to him. Just what he thinking when he befriended her?

"Fine, I relent," Sesshoumaru said. "Will this performance of yours require a lot of rehearsal?"

Kagome smiled at his quick change of heart. Sesshoumaru loved to be in the lime light, there was no way he would give up a chance to show off his many talents; he was just stubborn.

"You wouldn't want to do anything that wasn't perfect would you?" Kagome played.

"Touché," Sesshoumaru said.

"Splendid you two, absolutely splendid! This will be absolutely fantastic! The entertainment starts in a few hours; I suggest you two start practicing," Mr. Nakamura joyfully said before he turned and walked away with his wife.

Sesshoumaru glared at Kagome who was looking sheepishly in his direction.

"You owe me for this Ms. Higurashi," threatened Sesshoumaru.

Kagome merely smiled brightly and then continued on her way up the ramp to the boat. Sesshoumaru soon followed after her and they went to the small practice room near the dining hall to work on their performance.

Standing near the doorway to the small room the two of them noticed a man who was waiting for them. Sesshoumaru immediately recognized him as Naraku Nakamura and he wanted to snarl. He did not like him or the feeling of malice that radiated off of him.

Kagome, being the ever polite person that she was greeted him first.

"Good evening Nakamura-san how are you tonight?" she asked

Naraku grinned at her and then at Sesshoumaru which made his blood boil.

"I am doing quite well Ms. Higurashi; even better now that I've heard you will be performing tonight for us all. I am greatly anticipating it," Naraku answered her.

"Yes, it should be a lot of fun. I don't mean to be rude, but we really should start practicing," Kagome pleasantly told him.

"I was wondering if you could fill a request of mine," Naraku asked suddenly.

"Um, sure. What would that be?" Kagome asked.

"There is a song that I believe you would do wonderfully in singing. Is there any chance that you could perform that as your entertainment?"

Sesshoumaru was a bit suspicious at Naraku's intention, but couldn't find the harm in his request.

"I don't see why not, I really didn't have anything planned anyway," Kagome said. "What is the song, perhaps I've heard it?"

Naraku smiled then and was laughing outright in his mind. "It is called 'An Affair to Remember', and it is a beautifully done piece," Naraku informed her as his eyes shifted back and forth between Kagome and Sesshoumaru.

Kagome shifted a bit uneasily and Sesshoumaru clenched his jaw. So that was what he was playing at.

"Of course," Kagome spoke up assuredly. "I don't think that should be any problem. I've heard the song before and you're right, it is lovely."

Naraku lost a bit of his humor when they didn't take the bait. He was so sure he would catch them in their little tryst. He nodded then and handed each the sheet music he had acquired for the song. With one more bow and a glare towards Sesshoumaru, Naraku left them to their own devices.

"The nerve of that man, I just know he meant more than what he was letting on," Kagome fumed.

Sesshoumaru smirked at her then; she was quite the little spitfire when she wanted to be.

"Do not let the petty meddling of one such as him spoil your evening. He should not have that satisfaction," Sesshoumaru told her.

Kagome huffed a little then nodded. She opened the door to the practice room and they both went to work.

* * *

A few hours later and it was time for the entertainment portion of the evening to begin. There was only a couple days left of the cruise, so everything was winding down and people were getting anxious about reaching their destination. 

Kagome and Sesshoumaru waited on the side of the stage on the dining hall for the comedy routine of one of the other passengers to finish. The crowd of people had grown in number from the other times that Sesshoumaru and Kagome had dined in the hall, no doubt drawn by the fact that the well-known business tycoon was going to be performing.

Kagome did not want to lose face in front of all the passengers, but she was a bit nervous in singing this particular song. Although she and Sesshoumaru had not been intimate with each other, the crowd surely had their own views on their relationship. This song was strategically requested by that horrible man to humiliate not just Sesshoumaru, but her as well. What she didn't know was why.

The woman on stage finished her comedy act, receiving a healthy applause for her attempts. Mr. Myoga Nakamura walked on stage and his boisterous voice boomed out over the crowd even without the use of a microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have a special treat for you," Mr. Nakamura said. "I believe I have done the impossible and talked our very own Taisho-sama to perform for us tonight, as well as the lovely young Kagome Higurashi."

The audience did their part and gasped and applauded typically. It was all that Kagome and Sesshoumaru could do not to roll their eyes and the cliché they had unconsciously taken part it.

"Ms. Higurashi will be singing 'An Affair to Remember' while Taisho-sama accompanies her on the piano," he continued.

There was a quiet murmur among the crowd when Mr. Nakamura announced the song they were to perform and Kagome fidgeted. Sesshoumaru, trying to placate her nervousness, took hold of Kagome's hand and gave it a light squeeze. She blushed at the contact, but smiled at him in thanks.

They turned their attention back to Mr. Nakamura when he announced them.

"This is sure to be a memorable act! Feel free to dance along to the music, or just sit back and relax as they grace us with this performance. Now, without further delay, please give a warm applause to Taisho-sama and Higurashi-san!" Mr. Nakamura finished and waved them on stage.

The crowd clapped politely as the two of them made their way from behind the large curtain at the side of the stage. Even though Kagome had performed in front of many people numerous times, she felt her nervousness grow as the eyes that had been watching her and Sesshoumaru closely for the past week or so fall on her.

Sesshoumaru remained cool on the outside, but he was as close to being nervous as he had ever been. The judging eyes loomed over them both and he almost wanted to forget the whole thing and say to hell with it. However he decided that if these people wanted to get all worked up over a song, let them; it was no skin off his back.

Sesshoumaru took his place at the piano and Kagome walked to the front of the stage. She denied the microphone that was offered to her as she had sung many times, and with a lot of practice, she was able to project her voice beautifully.

Sesshoumaru started, playing a few notes in entry before Kagome started to sing.

"_Our love affair is a wondrous thing_

_That we'll rejoice in remembering_

_Our love was born with our first embrace_

_And a page was torn out of time and space_

_Our love affair, may it always be_

_A flame to burn through eternity_

_So take my hand with a fervent prayer_

_That we may live and we may share_

_A love affair to remember_

_So take my hand with a fervent prayer_

_That we may live and we may share_

_A love affair to remember"_

Kagome finished, and at first no sound was heard in the dining hall. She looked back to Sesshoumaru who gave her a small shrug of indifference and stood to stand next to her.

Just as they were about to leave the stage, the crowd erupted in applause, and Kagome let out a breath she didn't realize that she had been holding. What was wrong with these people; did they find pleasure in trying to give her a heart attack?!

The two of them exited the stage quickly while the audience continued their applause. Mr. Nakamura came back on stage and motioned for Sesshoumaru and Kagome to come take a bow. He clapped along with the audience, but when the two of them did not reenter, he walked to the side and looked behind the curtain.

A couple of seconds later he emerged again without Kagome or Sesshoumaru and shrugged at the crowd. With a small laugh he says, "I guess they are not coming back on-they just kept on going! Oh well, the show must go on! Next we have…ME!"

He motions for the band to play and begins his own number. Naraku stood in the back with a scowl on his face; he just could not get a one-up on Sesshoumaru Taisho! He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. How he hated that man!

Naraku stopped his pity party and smiled as he remembered that he had one more ace up his sleeve. The pictures that he had paid the photographer to take will make a lovely headline for the world's top news papers and broadcasts. It was only a shame that the lovely Kagome Higurashi had to get caught up in it all if only she had better taste in men.

When the press gets a hold of the photos, Sesshoumaru Taisho's life as a businessman is over; and Sesshoumaru would not be able to claim ignorance. A lot was riding on the marriage to Kagura Wind, and if she were to find out that he is having an affair (whether or not it was true) she would no doubt sue the man for all he was worth.

He patted his coat pocket in which the photos were hidden; he always kept them close. People were going to pay him a good amount of money for those and it would be a cold day in hell before he gave up his chance to bring down Sesshoumaru Taisho.

* * *

Sesshoumaru and Kagome all but ran through the door to get out onto the deck and away from the crowd. 

Kagome held Sesshoumaru's hand as they crashed through the door and she began laughing.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe the audience did that! I was so scared that they would take that song the wrong way," Kagome breathed out while she continued to giggle.

Sesshoumaru watched as Kagome walked to the railing and looked out over the ocean. He had been a bit nervous too when the audience left them in silence, but he'd be damned if he let them get to him. He walked over to where she was and leaned down with his arms on the railing.

"And how exactly were they to take that song?" he asked quietly.

Kagome looked at him from the corner of her eye and gulped audibly. "You and I both know that people like to talk Sesshoumaru. You also know just what kinds of things have been going around about us; it's not really a secret that you absolutely adore me," she played.

"I have to say that I cannot remember when I've had such a good time," Sesshoumaru admitted. "It seems that I am not quite myself when I'm around you."

"Maybe you are more of yourself now than you have been; have you thought of that?" Kagome said. "And I agree; I've had a great time, it's been absolutely wonderful on this trip."

Sesshoumaru and Kagome looked at each other then and silence fell between them. He could see everything in her eyes; she was a completely open book to him. She smiled and broke the small spell, and he spoke then.

"I know what you mean-," he said, referring to something he read in her eyes, "and I have talked to the captain about it already."

"Oh?" Kagome questioned. "And what did he say?"

"He said if was not for the other passenger then he would have no problem in turning the ship around. Unfortunately, people are getting eager to see their family and friends that are ashore."

"Hm, I guess I can see where that would be a problem. It would be kind of silly; just the two of us cruising around on this big boat," she said wistfully.

She turned back to face the water again and she closed her eyes in contemplation. Sesshoumaru leaned back against the railing, and Kagome could feel his eyes on her.

"I swear if you say 'penny for your thoughts' I'll throw myself overboard," she said.

Sesshoumaru leaned in closer to her and whispered in her ear. "You realize that tonight is the last night that we will be on the cruise. Tomorrow night we will dock in Los Angeles."

Kagome sighed. "Yes, I do realize that."

"Will he be waiting there for you?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"He'll be there at the dock," she answered. "And she?"

"Will be waiting there as well," he replied in turn.

There was another silence; both lost in their inner musings.

"You know," Sesshoumaru said suddenly, "I've never had a blue-collar job in my life."

Kagome looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. "Why does that not surprise me?"

"I never had the chance to dabble in that sort of work. I was always my father's protégée and I followed him wherever he went. He was always "training" me to become his heir; I never had the chance to work a menial job."

"You know, I'm not really one to be fond of overly expensive things like diamonds and clothes anyway," Kagome said.

"They are not really necessary," he said quickly.

"No; no they're not," she agreed. "Many people go their whole lives without so much as seeing a diamond, and they're perfectly happy."

"That's true; you know, diamonds are a nuisance anyway, all that paperwork just to insure them-"

"Yes, and I hate filling out forms," Kagome interjected. "I think we've been a bit spoiled in our lives. We've been used to things like champagne cocktails."

"I suppose we have. But we just like the best of things don't we?"

"My mom got a saying from somewhere, I don't know where, but it went: 'It's a funny thing-but the things we like best are either illegal, immoral, or fattening'. I have to say that I am inclined to agree with that," Kagome said as she smiled at him. "What does beer taste like?" she asked suddenly.

"It's bitter," he answered her.

She nodded a few times as if in contemplation. There was a short pause between them before Sesshoumaru spoke again.

"You know, nobody ever gets any younger…"

"No they don't," Kagome agreed.

"One day, you look in the mirror and say to yourself-"

"You've had it close, but you missed your opportunity," Kagome finished for him.

"You know, I've never really read through the help wanted ads in the newspaper," Sesshoumaru admitted.

"Really? It's in the back usually with small print," Kagome told him.

He nodded in understanding. "It might take some time, maybe as long as six months to find out if…"

"If what?" Kagome said as she turned to face him.

They were very close together now to where she could feel Sesshoumaru's warm breath on her face.

Sesshoumaru was trying to control his breathing, but being this close to her was making it difficult to think about anything else besides her.

"Well, if I were to work hard enough and long enough, say for six months…where would you be?" he questioned while bringing his hand behind her back.

Kagome was finding it hard to breathe with their closeness. She looked up at him before asking, "What are you trying to say Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes before answering her. "I'm trying work out that if in six months I could afford to buy my wife a beer."

Kagome placed her hand on his cheek and rubbed her thumb gently over his lips. "Sesshoumaru that is the nicest thing-"

She was cut off by Sesshoumaru crashing his lips down on hers. She gave into his kiss willingly and was warmed by the sensations which it invoked. He brought his hands to the sides of her face and held her there, afraid that their moment would end. She in turn, wrapped her arms around his torso, drawing him in closer to her body.

Their tongues met and both took in what the other had to offer. Sesshoumaru moved his hands to the back of her head in order to deepen the kiss. Kagome allowed her hands to roam over his back and then brought her hands to the front of him. She found the ends of his shirt and slipped her hands underneath to feel the skin and muscles of his chest.

Sesshoumaru groaned as he felt her hands on his flesh. Her fingertips brushed gently over him, igniting tiny fires in their wake. He had wanted to kiss her ever since he met her and now he was finally getting his wish. Her lips were soft and her mouth was warm; and from this closeness he could smell the light perfume that she wore. As he ran his fingers through her hair he could not help but think how soft it was.

Everything about this woman had him wanting to learn more; she was the first to ever awaken these feelings in him, and he was _not_ going to let her go.

Kagome was lost in the feelings of his mouth on hers. When his fingers ran through her hair she wanted to sigh. He broke the kiss and began trailing other small kisses along her jaw line and her neck. He left open-mouthed kisses along her collar bone to the other side of her neck and Kagome tilted her head back to give him better access.

He worked his way up the other side of her neck and up to her jaw line, back to place another searing kiss upon her lips; this one full over even more passion than the last. They each could feel the heat radiating off of each other at the closeness and Kagome could not help the quiet mewl that escaped her at the passion of their shared kiss.

She reluctantly broke away when she felt she needed air and saw his glazed over eyes looking at her much like she was looking at him. She shyly ran her tongue over her lips in attempt to soothe them from his ministrations.

"Sesshoumaru," she said breathily, "I've only known you for about a week."

"I know," he said as he closed his eyes. The look of her and her red swollen lips was making him want to kiss her again. His eyes opened when he felt her reach for his tie.

Kagome saw that he was in an inner battle with himself, much as she was, so she broke through the fogginess and reached over and fixed his tie that had somehow gotten messed up in their actions. When she finished she looked up at him again and smiled.

"Will you at least let me think about it? Just tonight and I'll give you my answer in the morning," she asked.

He nodded and brought her in close to him again. "It is going to be a long night."

"It will be for me too Sesshoumaru. Will you walk me to my room?" she asked.

Sesshoumaru nodded and took her hand as they began the trek to the cabins. They could distantly hear music playing from the direction of the dining hall as well as hear people talking and laughing loudly. The happiness that was reflected by the other passengers was almost discomforting to Sesshoumaru and Kagome, who now had to think about where their relationship was going.

They came to her room and he waited for her to unlock her door. Sesshoumaru hesitates at the door as she walks in.

"May I come in?" he asked her.

She smiled at him. "Yes, please do."

He walked in and shut the door behind him and then took a seat on the small sofa.

"Thank you so much for today Sesshoumaru. I don't think I've ever had a better day in my life."

"Nor have I. You were very kind to who are perhaps the closest people I have to friends. Thank you for offering them your courtesy."

"It was my pleasure. Thank you for allowing me into your little world."

He nodded, and the only sound that could be heard was the ticking of a clock.

"You know, marriage is a big step for a girl like me."

"Yes I know," Sesshoumaru replied.

"Do you like children?" Kagome asked.

"Yes I do," he said in return.

"I don't suppose you would mind staying here with me tonight. You'd have to be on your best behavior mind you," Kagome said.

"Are you sure you want me here with you?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Then yes, I'll stay with you."

"Please make yourself comfortable while I change," she said while pointing to the bed.

Kagome grabbed her night clothes and went to her bathroom to change. Sesshoumaru took off his shoes and socks as well as his shirt and crawled under the blankets of her bed. Kagome emerged a bit later and joined him. She turned on her side so that her back was facing him and reached over to grab his hand and put it over her waist.

He tightened his grip on her and pulled her in closer to him and Kagome welcomed the embrace.

Together they slept while thoughts of the future invaded their dreams.

* * *

**_I hope you enjoyed the fluffiness! The song that Kagome sang was a song from the movie. It is absolutely beautiful, so if you want to hear it, go to: you tube . com and type in An Affair to Remember-Deborah Kerr, hopefully that'll work for you._**

**_As always your thoughts on the story are welcomed!_**

* * *


	6. Welcome Home

**_Thank you all for the wonderful review; you guys are awesome! This chapter was hard to write for some reason so I hope it turned out okay. Enjoy!_**

* * *

The next morning Kagome awoke to the feeling of warm arms wrapped around her tightly. She smiled and turned over to face Sesshoumaru and saw that he was still sleeping. Kagome brought her hand up to trace the marking on his face gently, and she stifled a laugh when he snorted lightly at the tickling sensation. 

Sesshoumaru cracked an eye open and looked at the woman who so rudely interrupted his sleep. She was smiling at him with barely contained mirth and he shook his head.

"To what do I owe this rude awakening?" he questioned her.

"Well, I thought you should know that it is almost noon and we're still in bed," she answered him.

He opened both eyes now and studied the woman before him. With an audible sigh he asked, "Have you thought over my proposal?"

"I have," she began.

When she did not say anything more he propped his head in his hand and rested on his elbow. When she still said nothing Sesshoumaru quirked a questioning eyebrow for her to continue.

"And I think that a lot can happen in six months. You know, I've been going in and out of sleep all night thinking about this."

"As have I," Sesshoumaru concurred.

"In six months, if everything goes the way we want, that would put us in July…" Kagome began.

"Yes it would. In July…where would we meet?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Kagome pondered this for a moment. She did not know America very well; she had only heard stories about it. The stories she had heard took place in New York, so she said so.

"How about New York?" she suggested.

Sesshoumaru smiled at her then. "I am headed there so it would definitely be convenient for me. Any place in particular in New York?"

Kagome's eyebrows furrowed a bit; it was hard enough to think up New York. Why should she have to do all the work?

"Well if you're headed there anyway, you must know a bit about it. You think of a place," she said to him.

"I believe I know of a good place: The Empire State Building. It is one of the tallest buildings in the world, it would no doubt be hard to find. It is also the closest thing to heaven there is in America," Sesshoumaru said smoothly.

"That sounds wonderful. What time should we meet? What floor of the building?" Kagome asked.

"Well there are one-hundred and two floors in the building, and I leave the time up to you to decide," he said.

"How about five o'clock on the top floor? Be sure to use the elevator," she said playfully.

"That is acceptable."

They continued to lay there, perfectly content to waste the day away in each other's arms. Kagome sighed dreamily as she rolled over on her back to look at the ceiling; things were going to change so much now. In six months, if everything worked out the way they wanted them to, she and Sesshoumaru would be together. The thought left a smile on her face.

Sesshoumaru watched as the woman who had captured his interest lose herself in her thoughts. He had a lot to take care of once he got to New York. There was no doubt that Kagura would be very unhappy to learn that he wanted to break off the engagement; her father would probably try and take him for all he was worth.

If he were to be honest with himself, the prospect of living the life as a normal being without a vast fortune was quite appealing. Perhaps he should consider getting a benefactor to take over the company. That would leave him with enough money to make sure he and Kagome were comfortable, but would take him out of the lime light.

Sesshoumaru looked down at Kagome from his position resting on his elbow. He took on a sneaky smile and then leaned down to press his lips against hers, opting for a repeat of last night's kiss.

Kagome playfully growled at him and then wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him down quickly to her. Their kiss was playful and he nipped at her lips a few times causing her to squeak. She was about to pay him back for the abuse of her now swollen lips when a knock sounded at the door.

They both looked at the door and then back to each other.

"Excuse me," Kagome said as she got up from her position on the bed.

She walked over and undid the locks before cracking the door open slightly. She wanted to slam the door when she saw who it was.

"Good afternoon Ms. Higurashi," greeting Naraku.

"Good afternoon," she politely replied.

"I am sorry for disturbing you, but when my father had not seen either you or Taisho-sama he grew worried and asked me to check on you."

"Well that was very kind, but as you can see I am fine," Kagome said shortly. "Please tell your father I said thank you for worrying about me."

"I will do that. You…haven't happened to see Taisho-sama have you Ms. Higurashi," Naraku said almost knowingly.

"I'm sure he's around," she said trying to dodge the question. She shifted uneasily when Naraku continued to stand there are stare at her. After an uncomfortable moment he spoke.

"Of course; please do not think ill of me, you just spend so much time with him I assumed you would know where he would be," he said.

"That's okay. If you don't mind, I have packing that I should get to-" Kagome started.

"Of course; please accept my apologies for delaying you. Have a wonderful afternoon," Naraku said before he walked away.

Kagome shivered; that man was just too creepy. She took a step backwards and shut the door. She smiled when she felt a pair of arms hug her from behind.

"That man is bothersome," Sesshoumaru pointed out.

"Yes he is. But I'm he brought up a good point: everyone will be suspecting something when neither of us is seen. I can't afford to have rumors hinder my progress for the next six months. I think it would be best if you leave so that I may pack; you should do the same."

Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement and leaned over to give her chaste kiss.

"I will see you later," he whispered in her ear.

Kagome smiled and opened the door for him to leave. He kissed the back of her hand, eager to take any physical contact he could get from her, and then took his leave.

Kagome leaned back against the door and put her hand over her heart. What was it about him that made her heart beat so wildly whenever he was around?

She shook her head and then got busy packing her belongings. In a few hours the ship would dock in Los Angeles and then the long six month wait would begin. Kagome was already feeling the trepidation as it crept through her mind. She tried to shake away the uneasy feeling, but she could not get over the sense of foreboding that something bad was going to happen.

She took in a slow breath and released it, trying to calm her nerves. When she felt she had a tighter reign on her emotions she set off to pack her belongings. They would be docking in Los Angeles in a few hours and she wanted plenty of time to prepare herself for the task at hand.

* * *

Sesshoumaru left Kagome's cabin with stealth. It would not help them in the least to add fire to the rumors already in circulation around the ship. He thought about how much had happened in the short amount of time on this trip. He had never in his life made rash decisions, but when he saw her, his entire perspective changed.

Kagome was fresh, so much more different than women that he usually met. Sesshoumaru allowed one of his rare smiles to pass over his face. In six months, whether he could truly afford it or not, he would buy Kagome, his wife, that beer.

His musings were cut too short for his liking, by the familiar group of women that had followed basically his every move for the past week and a half. They sauntered towards him with dreamy smiles on their love-struck faces. One even reached out and threw her arms around him in a hug, while the others took their cameras out and started snapping pictures.

"Ladies, I would be more than happy to pose for pictures if you would indeed just ask," Sesshoumaru stated with barely contained resentment. How typical for women like them to merely assume he wanted the touch of every female within a five mile radius.

They all giggled and nodded like love-sick school girls and took turns shoving each other out of the way to get to him first. If he thought about it, and I mean really thought about it, he could definitely see the humor of the situation for what it was. However, as he watched the women push at the people they called their friends at a change to touch him first, Sesshoumaru could not find humor in the situation. It made him all the more glad that he had found someone like Kagome on this god-forsaken trip.

Sesshoumaru sneered a little and did not even bother to excuse himself for his abrupt departure. He could hear the small whines escape the women as he walked away from them and it made him want to smile. _'Fools,'_ he thought to himself.

"Taisho-sama!"

Sesshoumaru visibly cringed at the familiar voice of Myoga Nakamura; today was _not_ going to be a good day. "Yes Nakamura-san, what can I do for you?"

"Ah, Taisho-sama, nothing is needed of you today! I merely wanted to wish you well on your endeavors, today is the last day of the trip," Myoga pointed out.

"Indeed it is and I thank you for your kindness. Now if you'll-"

"I don't suppose you'd like to go out with my wife and I once we have docked?" Myoga asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately I cannot…" Sesshoumaru said.

"Oh I see I see, already have plans huh?" Myoga said as he playfully nudged Sesshoumaru with his elbow and winked at him.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and took a step back away from the offending appendage of Myoga Nakamura. "Something like that yes."

"Well, tell Ms. Higurashi that I said hello then will you?" Myoga asked.

Sesshoumaru did not justify Mr. Nakamura with an answer; the nerve of some people! Had they no shame in diving into other people's business? Sesshoumaru gave the man before him a callous look before heading towards his own cabin to pack his belongings. He had more important things to think on. Kagome's boyfriend would be waiting at the docks for her and he had to admit it to himself that he was extremely interested in looking upon the person that had captured Kagome's attention.

Sesshoumaru also wondered what Kagome would think of Kagura. He could not understand why, but he wanted her approval of sorts. It was ridiculous really, getting an approval of one's fiancée from the woman he expected to make his wife. Quite the conundrum.

Sesshoumaru all but ran back to his cabin in attempts to avoid any more unnecessary chatter with people who would much rather avoid. He walked in and slammed his door shut, harder than he meant to, and then sat himself on a chair in the corner. Maybe a quick nap would help him calm his raging nerves.

* * *

The final day of the trip was spend apart from each other; each tying up loose ends before they went their separate ways for the next six months. From the edge of the boat, Kagome leaned against the railing, watching as the distant lights of Los Angeles came into view. He was waiting there for her. How was she supposed to tell the person that had taken such good care of her for the last few months that she wished to be with someone else?

Kagome sighed and leaned further on the railing so that she was resting her head on her hands. More and more people were beginning to join her at the railings as the brightly lit dock came closer into view. The forms of people were starting to become apparent and it was all Kagome could do to not run back into her room and hide so that she would not have to leave this small world she and Sesshoumaru built.

Kagome closed her eyes sighed once more. When did her life become so complicated? They were nearly at the dock before she felt warm lips press against her cheek. She smiled into the feeling and turned to see Sesshoumaru's amused eyes staring at her.

She quickly came out of her musings and straightened up so that she was standing again.

"Sesshoumaru you shouldn't do that here in front of everyone!" she half-heartedly berated him.

He shrugged and leaned back against the railing she was just against. "In six months it will not matter who sees us," he said casually.

"Yes in six months; unfortunately that's not this moment," she said to him.

He nodded and stole on last chaste kiss from her before they had to dock. He stepped away from her and went to stand a few feet away so that none would be the wiser.

As the boat pulled in to the harbor people began waving at their loved ones that they saw from the boat. Sesshoumaru looked down to the people standing on the dock and easily spotted Kagura. It was not a hard thing to do since she was the only one surrounded by flashing cameras. Kagura was playing her part well and was waving dramatically to him, and he in turn, waved back.

Kagome looked over at Sesshoumaru who was waving to someone below. She looked at his line of sight and spotted a beautiful woman wearing what looked to be a very expensive coat. She was surrounded by cameras and microphones that the press kept thrusting towards her in order to get any sort of comment. Kagome looked back to Sesshoumaru and she saw him looking at her. She raised an eyebrow at him in silent question of: 'is that her?' Sesshoumaru nodded affirmative in reply.

Kagome nodded her head slightly a couple of times. Kagura was indeed quite lovely and seemed to be the type people would imagine Sesshoumaru to go for. Sesshoumaru saw her nod and smirked a little. He looked back towards Kagura who was now directing her attention to the press.

"Ms. Wind!" one of the press persons called out. Kagura turned her attention the person and upon noticing a camera, struck a pose.

"Ms. Wind what are your thoughts on the wedding; it's less than a year away?!" another person shouted.

Kagura gave them a fabulous smile and replied in a deep feminine voice. "My thoughts are what they have always been: Sesshoumaru is a very intriguing man; any woman would be lucky to have him."

"What of the company merger and the eight-hundred million that this marriage is solidifying?" asked yet another media correspondent.

"I will not deny that the merger of our companies is incredibly beneficial. With our two companies in league with one another, productivity and profits will indeed rise. As for the eight-hundred million...how can anyone turn their noses up at that, ne?" Kagura laughed as she said this, making the many media people laugh along with her.

Sesshoumaru shook his head having easily heard what she said even from there; demon hearing could be considered either a curse or a gift depending how you looked at it. He looked at Kagome once again and noticed that she was waving lightly at someone on the dock. Intrigued, he looked to where her attention was.

Little did the two of them know that they were the very center of attention now for the people on the ship. As the silent exchange was passed between the two, the passengers looked back and forth at them as if they were watching a tennis match. They were all very entertained by the not-so-subtle dealings of Sesshoumaru Taisho and Kagome Higurashi. They watched on as Sesshoumaru looked towards the crowd below.

At first he could not see anyone that seemed to be waving at her, but as he was about to turn and try and realign his sight, he caught a glimpse of white. Time seemed to slow down; people's voices faded and movement slowed to almost a stop as he noticed a pair of _very_ familiar looking hazel eyes. He allowed his eyes to look over the man standing there, and his attention was drawn to the pair of ears that were rested among the thick white strands of hair.

Sesshoumaru blinked and that seemed to release him from his trance. He looked towards Kagome who was smiling at the man with white hair. When Kagome felt eyes upon her, she turned to look at Sesshoumaru. She was a bit startled at the look on his face; it was almost as if he had seen a ghost. She mouthed 'what's wrong?' to him, but before he got a chance to answer she was being pushed towards the ramp that had been lowered so everyone could get off the boat.

Sesshoumaru lost sight of Kagome and even though he was standing on his tiptoes to look for her, he could not spot her over the hoards of people. He was eventually shoved enough to drop him back down to the flat of his feet and he begrudgingly walked towards Kagura.

When he spotted her, he took a couple of calming breaths before dropping his mask into place. He gracefully walked up to him and when she caught sight of him she grinned widely.

"Sesshoumaru, darling!" Kagura said in a loving tone while she held her arms out in front of her.

Sesshoumaru nodded his head and accepted her embrace. "Kagura," he said, "it is nice to see you well."

Kagura gave him a small peck on each cheek, keeping up her business mixed with pleasure appearance.

"It is wonderful to see you again," she said calmly. "Did you have a nice trip?"

A loud cough sounded behind Kagura and Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at an obviously amused Naraku. Kagura turned to look at who Sesshoumaru was giving his infamous death glare to, but saw no one out of the ordinary.

"Sesshoumaru, is everything alright?" Kagura asked.

He brought his attention back to the woman before him. "Yes, it's fine. And yes, I did enjoy my trip; thank you for asking."

Kagome had looked up when she heard someone cough and then saw Sesshoumaru standing next to Kagura. She walked up behind them just as a photographer asked for a picture.

Kagura planted a kiss on Sesshoumaru as the photographer took the picture, and Kagome could feel the tinge of jealousy rising in her. The photographer asked for another and Kagura directed her and Sesshoumaru's faces together so they were touching cheeks. Kagome had just about as much as she could handle, so when the photographer asked for yet _another_ photo and Kagura took hold of Sesshoumaru's hands, Kagome felt the need to interrupt the little picture session, if only for a moment.

Kagome pushed her way between them, all the while feigning to be sorry to have interrupted.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I beg your pardon. If you'll just excuse me I have an appointment to make," she said in a sing-song voice. She nonchalantly looked up at Sesshoumaru as she passed him and gave him a tiny smile before proceeding on her way.

Sesshoumaru wanted to stop and talk to her, but before he could even take a step he was stopped short and the photographer had snapped another picture, rendering him blind for a second or two; just enough to lose sight of Kagome once again.

The photographer readied his camera again. "Just one more shot?" he asked.

Sesshoumaru shot Kagura a look that clearly told her that he did not want to take any more pictures. She nodded and then they both declined him and walked towards the limo waiting for them.

* * *

Kagome could not stop the smile that danced across her face; that had been just too much fun! She knew it was probably a petty childish thing to do, but she just couldn't help herself. She had hated watching as Sesshoumaru and Kagura pretended to be the great couple in love; it only made it worse to know that there were always going to be pictures to taunt her for the next six month.

She continued on her way through the crowd to where she saw her boyfriend. As hard as everything was going to be, she was glad that he was here; it was nice to know at least one person in America.

Kagome spotted his white hair and ears first. She smiled a little to herself and pushed through the last of the crowd. When he saw her he grinned widely and picked her up in a grand hug, swinging her lightly from side to side.

"Kagome, I'm so glad you're finally here!" he said.

She hugged him back before he set her down and took her hand to lead her to the car.

"Did you have a nice trip?" he asked her.

She nodded, but otherwise kept silent. He looked over at her and frowned.

"Is everything alright?" he asked her.

She sighed then. "Yeah, I'm fine; just a little tired from the trip I guess."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close to him. "I'm sorry, I'll take you back to the apartment soon, I just have some last minute things to take care of with my lawyers."

"Hm, how's that coming along? Did Kikyo finally sign the papers?" Kagome asked.

"No not yet. I called her a couple of days ago. I'm tellin' you, she is trying everything to keep me in her grasp. She went so far as to tell me that she never stopped loving me, and even though she was with my brother, her feelings for me never changed. What a load of-"

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said warningly. "You know how I feel about cursing."

"Yeah, yeah I know," he said.

They walked to the parking lot where most of the other passengers had congregated and got into the awaiting car.

Kagome tried to look at the sights as they passed by, but soon all she saw were cars, cars, and more cars. They drove on among the many vehicles, blending in like the rest. She had never been here before and she was very eager to do her fill of sight-seeing.

"Hey Inuyasha?" she asked.

He did not make a move to look at her and kept his eyes on the road, but answered her anyway. "Yeah, what is it?" he asked.

"I was just wondering if you could take me around the city tomorrow so I could sight-see. I've never been here before and you've lived here for almost two months already. What do you say?"

He looked at her then quickly and then turned his eyes back to the road. "I don't know Kagome, L.A. isn't much to look at, you're basically seeing all there is to see," he told her in hopes of getting out of the job as personal tour guide.

"Oh come on Inuyasha; what about Hollywood? Universal Studios? The walk of fame?" she pushed.

"Look Kagome, I don't really have time to do anything right now; I've got a lot of paper work to do. Listen, how about this weekend I take you out to dinner; would you like that?"

Kagome looked a bit downtrodden, but understood he had much to do in his divorce procedures. So with a little smile she nodded her head slowly.

"Alright Inuyasha, that sounds nice," Kagome relented.

He smiled at her and took her hand in his to place a light kiss on it.

"I made sure the apartment is all ready for you. My housekeeper, Mary, made sure to even put some 'girlish' touches around the place so that you would feel a bit more comfortable," Inuyasha informed her trying to change the subject.

"That was very considerate of her," she said inattentively.

The continued the drive in an uncomfortable silence; it seemed that time apart had driven a wedge between their once loving relationship.

About forty-five minutes later found them just outside of a gated apartment complex in the upper hills of Los Angeles. The road had grown narrow, but there were houses pushed back behind trees and bushes, almost completely out of view. A couple of hairpin turns up the road and they reached the much awaited apartment complex.

When the vehicle stopped, Inuyasha went to the trunk to grab her things and set them next to the door of the apartment. He turned and walked back to the car just as Kagome shut the door of her side after exiting.

"Hey babe, I'm sorry, but I have a few forms to sign and fill out at the lawyer's office," he said as he held out his hand. "Here are your keys to the place; the bedroom is the second door on the right; you can put your stuff in there if you'd like."

"Um, thanks," Kagome said a bit disheartened. "What time do you think you'll be back?"

"It shouldn't be too long, maybe three hours or so," Inuyasha said before he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. He walked around the car to the driver's side and got in. When the car was started he rolled down the passenger side window to talk to Kagome.

"If you need anything, Mary's number is on the fridge, just give her a call. She should be coming into work within the next hour or so though."

She nodded in understanding and watched as Inuyasha drove off down the road again, effectively leaving her to her own discretion.

"Well then," she said aloud to herself. "Welcome home Kagome."

She unlocked the door and gathered her things. She dropped them unceremoniously on the floor inside of the door and shut the door behind her. Packing she would save for later; for now it was time for a bath and then a nap.

* * *

**_Thank you again for reading! I hope you liked this chapter, I plan to have one more chapter posted before the end of weekend. _**

* * *


	7. The Truth Shall Set You Free

**_

* * *

_****_As promised, one more chapter before the week was out. Thank you very much for the great reviews, I can't tell you how much I love them. All of you are great!_**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

Further south, just outside the outskirts of Los Angeles, Sesshoumaru walked into a large home that belonged to his fiancée. He desperately wanted to return to New York and begin his efforts of creating a home for his soon-to-be wife, Kagome, but unfortunately he and Kagura's flight to New York did not leave until the next day. 

As he crossed the threshold he was immediately greeted with television cameras, microphones, cables, wires, photographers, and other media crew as soon as he opened the door.

Feeling as if he wanted to rip his own hair out or better yet, the hair of the person responsible for all this, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes in complete exhaustion. Taking a deep breath, or five, he slowly opened his amber eyes to the room again, hoping that all of the madness had somehow disappeared while they were closed. No such luck.

Sesshoumaru turned to the woman standing next to him who had a sheepish smile on her face. He raised a finely shaped eyebrow at her and began his interrogation.

"Kagura…" he started.

"Yes, dear?" she replied.

"Pray tell, what is all of this?" Sesshoumaru continued barely containing his ire.

He continued to scan the room with narrowed eyes; this could only bode badly for him. Sesshoumaru turned his eyes again to the woman standing next to him who had yet to answer his question.

"I'm so sorry Sesshoumaru dear, I thought I told you," Kagura said sweetly.

"Obviously you did not, otherwise I would not be asking such," Sesshoumaru said as he took another calming breath.

Kagura looked at him and sighed; she really hoped that he would not be too mad about all of this.

"Sesshoumaru dear, the media has been hounding me for an interview ever since we announced our engagement; I just figured we'd get it over with," Kagura said innocently. "We've become a very popular couple this year; bigger than Brad and Angelina were."

Sesshoumaru could resist no longer and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This helps placate me how?"

Kagura brushed him off with a flighty hand and continued. "Anyways, I agreed to an interview if they would agree to make a donation to my favorite charity. It's for a good cause Sesshoumaru; you don't mind, do you darling?"

"Am I getting married, or am I being inaugurated?" Sesshoumaru asked sourly.

"Now, now dear don't be like that. Smile for the camera, and you can have your personal time later."

Sesshoumaru wanted to glare at the woman; in fact he might just do that. However, the woman asked for money to be given to a charity. He may be a cold tyrant of a businessman, but he would give credit where it was do.

"So, may I ask, what charity are they donating to in your name?" Sesshoumaru could not help but wonder.

"The charity for organizations that are pushing for more wind powered energy," she replied easily.

He should have known.

"Now come along Sesshoumaru dear," she said sweetly.

Kagura motioned to a large chair in the center of the room and then went to sit down in it. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her in question and was answered by her patting the armrest of the chair telling him to come and sit down.

Sesshoumaru eyed all of the wires and cords wearily and, as carefully as he could, made his way through the jungle of them. Okay, maybe he exaggerated a little on the jungle of wires, but there were a lot of them.

"Sesshoumaru dear, this is Vincent Klein," Kagura said as she motioned for the man, "He will be the one to interview us today."

The man, Vincent, reached his hand out for a handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Taisho."

Sesshoumaru looked at the man with no emotions on his face. He then looked down at the extended hand absently, moving on his eyes, and then looked back at the hand's owner. Vincent, upon seeing that he was definitely _not_ going to get a handshake, made a fist with his offered hand and then brought it back down to his side quickly as if he had suddenly been burnt.

"W-well then," Vincent said nervously, "Shall we get you all set up so we can get this over with?"

"Indeed," Sesshoumaru said with a sneer.

"We'll get you two over to make-up and then we'll quickly go over the rundown of the interviewing process," Vincent informed them.

Sesshoumaru did not feel like putting up with all of this. He had to put on _make-up_?

* * *

After a nice long bath with a quick read through the newspaper, and an even longer nap, Kagome set off to wander around the rather large apartment, if it could even be called that. Her bedroom she had already found, and made good use of, so now it was time to be nosey. 

She had seen the bedrooms, all three of them; and the bathrooms, two of them; and of course, the kitchen, only one of those. The apartment was very nicely laid out into a comfortable, yet elegant setting. The rooms seemed very open and inviting; this definitely could not have been Inuyasha's doing, decorating just did not seem to be his forté.

Kagome continued her journey through the place, stopping here and there to admire a piece of strategically placed statue or artwork. She reminded herself that there was a pair of doors just on the other side of the kitchen, so she headed back there. She was about to walk out the pair of French doors that led outside past the kitchen when she heard the front door open. Curious, she changed her direction and then made her way to the living room to see who came in.

"You must be Mary," Kagome said when she noticed a woman taking off her coat.

The woman jumped a little then turned around quickly to face the owner of the voice. She then gave a nice smile and bowed to Kagome before hanging her coat on the coat rack.

"Yes, I am. And you must be Ms. Higurashi; it's very nice to meet you. Mr. Matsumoto talks about you quite often," Mary greeted.

"He does, does he? Good things I hope?" Kagome playfully questioned.

"Of course," Mary said with a grin, "Only good things. I hope you are finding everything to your liking; Mr. Matsumoto wanted me to make sure you felt comfortable here."

Kagome nodded and smiled. "Yes, everything is very nice thank you."

Kagome turned to walk out onto the veranda. The view gave her a new perspective of what little she saw of Los Angeles on her way here. From there she had a nice view of the hillside and all of its lush homes tucked away in neat little pockets. There was a small bistro set on the veranda and vines and flowers covered a trellis above her. To Kagome, this would be her small sanctuary while she was here.

"It lovely isn't it?" Mary said from the door.

Kagome turned to Inuyasha's housekeeper and smiled while giving her a gentle nod. "It is quite lovely; does he come out here often?"

Mary shook her head in the negative. "No, Mr. Matsumoto usually spends his time in the office. He told me to fix up this terrace nicely for your arrival. He even bought a couple new pieces of furniture; he told me that I needed to have this place ready for you."

"That's very nice Mary," Kagome stated unenthusiastically. Inuyasha had done all of this for her, but she still could not bring herself to feel the feelings for him that she did for Sesshoumaru.

"What's wrong Ms. Higurashi? Is everything ok? You don't seem too happy to be here," Mary asked concerned.

"Oh, it's not that, I'm happy to be here, and everything is wonderful. Inuyasha is a very kind person," Kagome told her.

"Kind? He's more than kind Ms. Higurashi. Why, just yesterday he gave me a big fat raise. He said I've been doing a great job for him and he wanted to make sure that I was happy enough to continue working here."

Kagome wandered absently through the apartment, taking in all of the pieces of furniture that she thought were new. There was a painting on the wall that hung a little crooked, so Kagome deftly fixed it.

"So he gave you a raise? That's very nice Mary; you should save your money, then you'll have a lot if you need it one day," Kagome told her with little emotion.

Mary smirked at the woman. "I would have more money if my numbers would just get picked in the lottery."

Kagome smiled and turned back around. She looked at a clock on the wall. "Is this clock correct?"

"Yes, it always has been," Mary answered her.

"Would you mind turning the television on for me? Channel four I think."

Mary got an amused glint in her eyes. "Are you one of those that watch soap operas? I swear; like people don't have enough drama in their lives."

Mary walked over and switched on the TV.

"No, no. I read in the newspaper that there was going to be an interview today at two o'clock with Kagura Wind and that man she's marrying…Taisho I believe was his name. Sesshoumaru Taisho. I thought I'd watch it; it should be entertaining."

"Isn't that the man that Mr. Matsumoto says thinks is God's gift to women?" Mary asked as she turned the channel. She stopped on a channel that had a middle aged country singer on it. "Is that him?"

Kagome looked a bit disgusted before she replied, "Of course not."

The two of them hear the doorknob turning just before Inuyasha entered. Mary turned the sound down a bit as he walked in.

Inuyasha walked to where Kagome was seated and gave her a quick kiss. Mary took that as her sign to leave and walked into the kitchen to make some tea for them.

"Hm," Inuyasha said as he pulled away from Kagome. "You must be out of practice; we might have to work on that kiss of yours," he said with a smirk.

Inuyasha looked around the room and noticed that Kagome still had not unpacked her belongings or put her suitcase away. He looked back at her with a raised eyebrow; something that reminded her of Sesshoumaru as soon as she saw it.

"I thought for sure you'd be unpacked by now and dressed in something a little bit more…comfortable," he said with a wink.

Kagome shrugged but put on a determined face. "Inuyasha, we have a lot to talk about and I find I am able to think better in this outfit."

Inuyasha raised a gentle hand in front of him and gave her a grin. "Babe, let me talk first, and then I'm all ears."

Inuyasha wanted Kagome to seem happy about talking to him before he continued, but her face remained emotionless. He frowned a bit, but continued anyway.

"My wife and her awful lawyers took pretty much everything but my left arm," he said as he pulled her in for a hug. She stiffened a little in his arms, but if he noticed, he did not say anything. "But you're worth all of it. When I'm with you I'm on cloud ten. Screw the people on cloud nine, those bastards don't know happy. And you know why?"

Kagome shook her head minutely; she didn't like the way she was feeling right now.

"Cause they ain't got you," Inuyasha finished.

Kagome did not know what to say, she was almost in tears. How could she ever bring herself to hurt someone like Inuyasha? He had been nothing but good to her since the day that they met.

Luckily for Kagome, Mary came in at that moment, saving her from having to react to Inuyasha's words.

"That show is on now Ms. Higurashi," Mary said as she made her way to the television to turn the volume back up.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome. "Show?"

"Oh, Mary means this program that's coming on TV…you know, the Wind-Taisho thing…they're having an interview today, and I thought it'd be interesting to watch," Kagome rambled a bit.

Inuyasha visibly stiffened and snarled at the mention of Sesshoumaru Taisho. "Bastard."

Kagome looked a little shocked at him. "What's wrong?"

"That bastard half-brother of mine! He thinks he's God's gift to women!" Inuyasha nearly shouted. "I can't stand Sesshoumaru!"

Kagome froze. She could feel the blood rushing from her face as she visibly paled. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru…half-brothers? This could not be happening!! Why didn't she see it before; they looked so similar; how many people have silver-white hair and amber eyes?!

"Let's see what the bastard has to say today, shall we?" Inuyasha said as he sat back on a chair to relax.

_Interviewer: Today we have special guest with us- Mr. Sesshoumaru Taisho and his lovely bride-to-be Ms. Kagura Wind. Sesshoumaru just came here today from his trip from Tokyo to Los Angeles and has pleasantly agreed to give us this exclusive interview!_

"Tokyo to L.A? Wasn't that the same trip you were on?" Inuyasha asked Kagome.

Kagome nodded in the affirmative.

"Did you meet him?" he asked her.

Kagome nodded slowly again.

"Was he _charming_?" Inuyasha asked in mockery. He was no longer looking at her, but he kept up with his questioning.

Kagome nodded another time although he did not see it.

"Fascinating?" he said while playfully batting his eyelashes.

Kagome nodded her head once more.

"Did you find him irresistible?" Inuyasha questioned.

This time Kagome did not nod. She merely sat there with a faraway gaze.

Inuyasha, not hearing the swishing of fabric that indicated her answers, turned towards Kagome and saw the melancholy look on her face.

"I'm sorry, I take that question back," he said quickly.

Kagome gave him a barely visible nod and they turned their attention back towards the interview.

_The interviewer held a pad and paper in his hands, prepared to jot down questions that he may come up with on the spot. When he was sure that ample time was given for the theme music that they themselves could not hear, he began his interview._

"_Many marriages tend to break apart because of financial difficulty. But, I'm sure you two won't have any problem with-"_

"_No, no-that will definitely not be one of our problems," Kagura said with a light laugh._

_The interviewer turned to Sesshoumaru then who was not paying very much attention. In efforts to add a bit of humor to the interview, he asks, "So, Mr. Taisho-is this your first attempt at any connubial bliss?" _

_Sesshoumaru looks as if he's shaken from his inner thoughts. "I'm sorry, could rephrase the question?"_

_Kagura laughed a little at Sesshoumaru's expense. "Dear, he means is this your first experience with marriage." _

_Sesshoumaru still looked as if he were in a daze. "With marriage?" he asked._

_Kagura looked at him with a warning glare; he really needed to be paying attention to the interview. She replied dryly to him, "Yes dear, with MARRIAGE."_

_Vincent, the interviewer, sees the light tension with the line of questioning and moves on to another line of questions while still attempting to be witty._

"_Mr. Taisho," Vincent said, "do you plan on supporting your wife in the manner to which she is accustomed to?" He said this as he looked around the expensively decorated room._

Kagome took in a gasp of air and held her breath. Sesshoumaru is always so sure of his finances, but he seemed to be hesitating to answer.

_Sesshoumaru looked around the room a bit, but then looked straight at the television camera. "I will make every effort to," he answered._

_Kagura was a bit taken aback at his answer of 'make an effort to'. "You have all the finances you need dear. Do you plan on doing something else?"_

_Sesshoumaru straightened his back a little. "I plan to take up painting again," he announced calmly._

_Kagura looked at him bewildered. She glanced over at the walls behind them in which there were expensive paintings hanging. "Dear, we already have paintings; Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet…"_

_Sesshoumaru clenched his jaw in an effort to keep from going off on the woman. He wanted to paint, and by god he was going to paint. "So? I'm still going to paint."_

_Kagura could not contain the anger she was feeling; why was he being like this? "For goodness sakes Sesshoumaru-why on earth would you want to take up painting again?! You'll be way too busy to dedicate your time to a painting, besides that, I'm allergic to the turpentine you use for paint thinner!"_

_Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes a bit to glare at her; who was she to tell him what he could and could not do?! He took out his pocket knife in an effort to sharpen his claws; just in case he might want to use them._

_Kagura is completely confused by his actions. She looks over to him as he brought out his pocket knife and sees writing on it. She narrowed her eyes and leaned forward a bit to see if she could read what was on it, but Sesshoumaru quickly snatches it away and puts it back in his pocket._

_Vincent tries to recover his slowly disintegrating interview. He cleared his throat in an effort to gain their attention and continues with another question._

"_Ahem. So, when's the wedding date set for Ms. Wind?" he asks a bit uncomfortably._

_Kagura regains her composure and sits up straight, still giving Sesshoumaru a nasty look from the corner of her eyes. "Oh, I think it will be set for as soon as possible. Probably in about-"_

"_Six months," Sesshoumaru interrupted strongly._

Kagome could not contain her smile and Sesshoumaru's comment. He still wanted her; granted it had not even been a day since they last saw each other, but still, he was announcing it to the world even if the world was completely oblivious to them!

Her smile continued as she watched Sesshoumaru who seemed to be looking straight at her. Kagome closed her eyes in an effort to keep the picture of him in her memory.

Inuyasha had been watching Kagome since she had gasped and started holding her breath. He saw the smile that leaked across Kagome's face at Sesshoumaru's proclamation and was slowly starting to guess as to what was going on; and he did not like it. He turned back to the television with a weary glance at Kagome.

_Kagura was completely furious now. "Six months?! You're insane if you think I'm waiting that-" _

_She stopped short when she saw Sesshoumaru gesturing to the camera holding six fingers up to reiterate his six month claim. She huffed and crossed her legs while she sat back further on the couch they were sitting on._

_Vincent's eyes were wide as he watched the spectacle. He did not want to end the interview, but with the way the two were acting he figured it is best for all parties involved if he did so._

"_And that, um, ladies and gentlemen, was Ms. Kagura Wind and Mr. Sesshoumaru Taisho. This concludes our interview with this, uh…charming, couple. Now I turn it back to you Nick McMillan…"_

_Kagura put her hand on her forehead. "Are we off the air now?" she asked hotly._

"_Um, no not yet," replied Vincent as he tried to get the camera off._

_The camera faded to black, but the voices do not stop. The man working the machine tried desperately to cut off the sound and finally did after three attempts; but not before Kagura threw one last vulgarity at Sesshoumaru for his behavior._

Inuyasha turned off the television and slowly lowered himself back into his chair. He did not look Kagome's way and he did not say anything for a few moments.

Kagome shifted a bit uneasily in the silence that followed and almost jumped when Inuyasha spoke again.

"Well," he began quietly. "I think I may just fell off of cloud ten."

Kagome closed her eyes and the tears she was trying to hold back finally fell. "I-I'm so sorry Inuyasha. If only I would have known before, I could have saved you so much hurt; and probably a lot of money," she said distraught.

She walked around the chair to come in front of him and knelt down to his level. Inuyasha continued to stare at her in disbelief and hurt. How could this have happened?

"I just-don't understand Kagome," Inuyasha said with a slightly louder voice. "My brother, Kagome-my brother!"

Kagome dropped her gaze down to the floor. "I know," she said quietly.

Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest. "You must be insane you know that?!"

With tears still falling she nodded her head. "I know."

"So now what are you going to do? You don't know anyone here and you don't have a job here. So tell me what!"

"I-I guess I c-could find a job singing someplace," she said with her eyes still closed. "At least until h-he-"

"He what, Kagome?! Once this marriage falls through he'll probably be broke; Kagura will take him for all that he is worth! He won't be able to support you!"

Kagome was wracked with sobs now; she knew it looked bad, but she wanted to be with Sesshoumaru no matter what. Sesshoumaru had said that he would take care of her and she believed him full-heartedly.

"My damn brother! He gets everything and anything he wants and now he gets you! How did this happen?!"

"We just met on the trip and, we started talking. Inuyasha I-"

"No, just stop, I don't want to hear any more," he said tiredly.

Inuyasha sighed and took a breath to collect his nerves. He looked down at Kagome and hooked his fingers under her chin so that she would look at him.

"Listen Kagome, I know I should have told you a while ago, but I love you and I want to be the one to marry you. I know this is my fault but I can make it right! It can't be too late; look at me Kagome…can't you see that I'm in love?!"

Kagome looked at him with all the courage she could muster. "Yes, I can see that Inuyasha-but, but so am I."

She stood then and Inuyasha fell back against the chair with an utter look of defeat on his face. Kagome walked through the kitchen and out onto the veranda that she had dubbed her sanctuary; she was in definite need of one at the moment.

Mary stood in the corner, having heard everything, with tears in her eyes. She could not imagine how hard this must be for the two of them and only hoped that they could work this out.

Kagome walked numbly to the railing of the patio and looked up into the sky, praying to any deity that would listen to her that she was doing the right thing and that everything would work out for the best.

Finding out that Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were brothers was like a slap in the face. She loved both of them but in completely different ways. She never intended for Inuyasha to be hurt, but like her mother always told her, 'you can't help who you fall in love with'.

With all of her energy drained because of her tears, Kagome dropped to her knees clutching the bars of the iron fence and cried.

She cried for a love lost, and for a love gained. She cried for the known and the unknown that she would yet come across. And lastly, she cried because she had made it through what she thought was the hard part of her trial.

* * *

**_I know, sad chapter; but these things had to come out some time. Please review to let me know how you are enjoying the story. Thank you readers!_**

* * *


	8. Time Goes By

**_Hello again readers and thank you for all of your wonderful reviews! You all flattered me so much, I am extremely thankful to all of you._**

**_I'll try and have another chapter posted by the end of this weekend, but no promises, my sister is coming to visit me :)_**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

Kagome stared out the window of the taxi-cab. She had no set place to go and knew no one. The only place she could think of was New York. She had six months before she and Sesshoumaru would be together, so she was going to make the best of it. 

Giving the cab driver her request to go to the airport, Kagome sat back and continued her quick "tour" of Los Angeles from the comfort of the backseat of the taxi. Her conscious was heavy with guilt with today's events. Inuyasha had offered that she stay the night and they would figure things out in the morning, but she just could not ask him for anything; not after everything that had happened.

She still could not believe how everything had turned out; Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were half-brothers! She just could not wrap her mind around that one. Kagome had not meant to hurt Inuyasha the way she did; unfortunately she had. And he had been fairly supportive which made her feel even worse.

Kagome closed her eyes to try and stop the tears that she thought had all been depleted. Since when did life become so complicated? When did she go from ignorant little Kagome who knew nothing of life or love, to someone who was moving clear across a country that she knew absolutely nothing about, and away from the only person she knew, only to be waiting for his half-brother to marry her.

Life was cruel, Kagome decided. Life was cruel and it was testing her limits of sanity, or lack there of.

Not too much later she arrived at the airport in downtown Los Angeles. There were a surprising number of people waiting to board the later flights and so she quickly made her way to the ticket counter in efforts to avoid a mad rush.

"Um, I'd like to purchase a ticket to New York please," Kagome asked politely when it was her turn.

"Where in New York?" the man behind the counter asked.

"Do you know where the Empire State building is? I'd like to go there," she answered him.

The man gave her a strange look. "You want to go to midtown Manhattan in New York, New York," he said shortly.

Kagome nodded and watched as he brought up the flight information. "We have five seats left on the 11:15pm flight; will that be okay?" he asked her.

Kagome nodded again and then paid for her ticket. The man pointed her in the gate's direction then took and ticketed her baggage. Kagome started the trek to the gate for her flight. She passed by a few newspaper stands and grabbed a New York Times to start her apartment search and maybe try and read a bit to freshen up her English.

She waited for thirty minutes before her flight boarded and another fifteen minutes before it departed and she was finally on her way to New York. Once again, the fact that she knew no one and knew nothing of America had her feeling anxious, but she felt all of this was worth it if she and Sesshoumaru could be together. She wondered what he was doing now.

She watched from the window as the city lights of Los Angeles disappeared from her sight and she sighed. Everything was moving so fast in her life right now that she wondered if she would ever get a grip on it.

Kagome opened up the paper and the first thing that she saw was a picture that she never expected. It was a picture of her and Sesshoumaru near the railing of the boat and they were very close to each other. He had his hand on her waist and they were looking at one another with small smiles on their faces.

Kagome groaned and closed the paper again. She knew that when Inuyasha saw this, if he saw it, he would be even more disappointed with her. Kagome could only imagine what Kagura would say to Sesshoumaru. At that Kagome shuddered a little and thanked her lucky stars that she was not in his position right now.

* * *

Sesshoumaru sat back in the easy chair watching as Kagura paced the floor in front of him. After the interview, she had not said a word besides the one that no doubt was heard by everyone over the television. Instead, she had taken up her pacing which was slowly driving him mad.

"Would you quit that insufferable pacing," he spoke suddenly.

Kagura stopped in her tracks and whipped around to face him. "How dare you say anything to me after the way you acted?! What has gotten into you Sesshoumaru?!"

He opened his mouth to answer before she cut him off.

"I mean, everything was fine when you were in Japan; everything was going the way it was supposed to. And then out of nowhere you spout out something of six months! Why six months? This merger was supposed to happen as soon as possible; you know my father's company is going for broke; why would you do this?!"

"Kagura," Sesshoumaru began slowly, "I do not think that this is going to work out."

Kagura looked at him as if he had grown a second head. _Not going to work out?_ "Not going to work out?! Dammit Sesshoumaru that's it! What is going on?"

Sesshoumaru leaned forward a bit to appear taller. "That is my business; you only need to know that this wedding is not going to happen. I do however, apologize for the inconvenience."

Just business; this was just business to begin with so there was no sense in straying from that line of thinking. Sesshoumaru was waiting for Kagura to blow up; but was pleasantly surprised when she took a deep breath and calmly sat down in the chair across from him.

"You met someone," she said more than asked.

Sesshoumaru did not give her an answer, only stared blankly at her. Kagura nodded though; his silence was all she needed as an answer. She reached over to the table and pulled out a newspaper and opened it to the 'Life' section. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened ever so slightly at the picture of he and Kagome.

Kagura sighed and looked at him squarely in the eyes.

"Sesshoumaru, you know that I hold you in the highest of regards, so that is why I'm going to tell you this, so you can be prepared," she said tiredly. "My father is not going to take this lightly. Expect a law suit from him for breech of contract; he will be taking you for all you are worth."

Sesshoumaru nodded his head once and watched as she got up and walked out of the room. Now that that was over with, he had other things he needed to take care of. He needed to get back to New York and start selling his paintings. No doubt Mr. Wind would be quick at the draw to take him to court; so he might as well start saving now. Six months…and then she would be with him again.

* * *

_Two months later…_

Dressed in a long black dress, Kagome sang to her regular audience that frequented the "Big Time" music club in the middle of Manhattan. She had been working here for about a month and a half, having spent her first two weeks in New York searching for an apartment and a job. By chance she happened upon this small club while looking for another.

The manager had allowed her to audition, along with three other performers, for a spot to fill in the night hours. Upon hearing her sing, the manager was quick to offer her the job, so for the past month and a half she had been singing for him. He often asked her to sign a contract, but she would only sign it on a monthly basis. Perhaps tonight he could get her to commit to this club.

He watched as Kagome performed effortlessly; she was in her natural element on stage in front of people. Up there she seemed loose and carefree, and while she was happy off stage, she never held the same sparkle in her eyes as she did when she was singing.

Kagome finished her song on the brightly lit stage and exited with much applause form the audience. She bowed a couple of time before disappearing behind the curtain that led backstage. When she made it there she saw the manager smiling broadly at her; apparently pleased, yet again, with her performance.

"So…how am I doing?" Kagome asked him carefully.

"Kagome, my dear, you sing beautifully and the crowd loves you; or can you not tell by the sound of that applause?" he said to her.

Kagome allowed herself a mental pat on the back at the sound of appreciative whistles and clapping hands. It gave her a rush like no other.

"Perhaps they are applauding for you? Or the chef; he did could a really good meal tonight," Kagome said playfully.

The manager laughed aloud at this. "No my dear Kagome, that is definitely for you!"

Kagome grinned at the man before her; he really was sweet and he had done so much for her.

"You don't know hoe much that applause means to me. When I moved here it wasn't easy. But you and this club have given me more than I could have asked for; thank you," Kagome said sincerely.

He nodded his acceptance of her gratitude. "If you'd really like to thank me, we could talk about a long contract. What do you say?"

"Four months," Kagome replied quickly.

The manager frowned. "I was thinking more in the lines of a year. Kagome, four months is not a very long time."

"Yes it is!" she said a bit upbeat.

He shook his head and smiled as he watched her return to the stage. She really was an interesting person.

Kagome received another round of applause as she took to the stage again which made her big smile grow even wider. The spot light on her made her glow like an unearthly being and her black dress coupled with her black hair, made her sapphire blue eyes sparkle. She waited until the roar died down before she began talking.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen. I would now like to sing you a song that is very special to me; it holds a place deep in my heart and so I hope you enjoy it."

The pianist gave her, her intro and she found herself singing "An Affair to Remember" to the crowd in front of her. Although the only person that she could see was in her memory. The image of him was so prominent; he sitting at the piano behind her, tapping along while she sang, that she had to look at the piano player behind her to remind herself that it was, indeed, just a memory.

Even before her song finished completely the audience was clapping for her. She bowed and thanked them before she left the stage again.

"Four months, sir," Kagome said to the manager.

He smiled at her and nodded, "Four months it is then."

* * *

The next day, Kagome found herself staring out over the city from her high-rise apartment. From her room she could see clearly the place that was to be the meeting ground for her and Sesshoumaru; it would be a reminder that kept her going even when at times the months seemed to purposely slow down just to taunt her. 

A quiet knock on the door brought her from her contemplations.

"Come in," she said.

The door opened to reveal a petite woman dressed in housekeeping garb. The woman looked around the barely opened door and poked her head in. When she saw Kagome she smiled brightly at her.

"I beg your pardon Ms. Kagome, I was just wondering if you would like your place cleaned up today; it is Wednesday," the maid said to her.

Kagome smiled and walked over to her. "That would be nice thank you. It's amazing that this place offers periodic housekeeping. You're too nice to me you know."

"Oh no, everyone loves having you here; you're probably our kindest tenant. It's a pleasure to serve you."

"Say what you will, but I'm not going to let them raise my rent," Kagome said playfully. "You can butter me up all you like, I still won't budge."

"Naw, who said anything about getting more money out of you; we're all just happy to have you here," the housekeeper replied.

The two women smiled at each other and then the housekeeper went to work; busying herself with dusting. Kagome watched her as she cleaned; the woman always had a smile on her face every time she came to clean. It made Kagome feel a bit envious that she was always so joyful.

"You are always so happy and constantly have a smile on your face," Kagome told her. "What's you secret Lindsay?"

The housekeeper stopped working for a moment to think about her answer. "Honestly, I don't know. I have two daughters whom my ex-husband left me with, who are both ashamed of me, and I have breast cancer."

"I'm so sorry," Kagome said with tears in her eyes.

The housekeeper looked at her and smiled. "Sorry? Why are you sorry? You have a great life; take it for what it's worth. You have no boyfriend calling on you all the time, so you don't have to worry about getting married. And if you don't have to worry about getting married, it's more than likely you don't have to worry about having kids that don't like you," she said with sincerity. There was no animosity in her words as she spoke them; Lindsay believed every word that she said.

"I should probably go; your place is always spotless so I'm just wasting my time here," she said as she walked to the door. "You shouldn't worry so much you know; I don't worry. There's no sense in it, it just takes up your time."

Lindsay starts to leave but sees the strained emotions in Kagome's eyes and decides to help ease whatever pain she may have caused.

"You know Ms. Kagome; I may play around and say that marriage isn't worth it, but when you find someone to special, that relationship can be a beautiful thing. You are a wonderful person and you should find someone special to give your love to. I just don't know where you would be able to find him; but it doesn't hurt to look. Just don't marry a bum like I did, it is just as easy to fall in love with someone who has money!" Lindsay said to Kagome.

"So maybe you won't love him at first, but you could always teach yourself to love him in six easy steps," Lindsay said with a smile.

Kagome grinned and shook her head and then went to pick up a book sitting on the coffee table. She was about to start reading when she heard the housekeeper's voice from the hallway.

"Mark my words, just don't marry a bum!"

Kagome faintly smiles and thinks about all her housekeeper has said to her. Marriage. What a strange thing it is. It can be either the best or worst thing to happen to someone and you won't really know which it is until you try it.

Kagome felt her cheeks grow hot as she thought of a married life with Sesshoumaru. How she longed to feel his touch again; to feel his soft lips on hers and feel the way his strong arms wrapped around her to keep her close. If she concentrated hard enough, she could almost feel his breath against her neck.

She sighed and opened her eyes from her run-away imagination. Just a few more months and she would be back with him. Kagome smiled at this. Just what sort of changes had he made with his time? Had he explained to Kagura about them, or was he still waiting to do so?

Whatever he was doing now, she hoped that he was happy and successful. Not just for the sake of him wanting to support her when they married, but because she wanted him to be happy with himself and his accomplishments.

Kagome walked to her balcony and looked over the city again. He had said that he owned a place here in New York, but there were so many people here. Besides, as much as she knew, he could still be in Los Angeles with Kagura.

Just a little while longer; she could be patient for just a while longer…

* * *

On the other side of Manhattan was a small art gallery. The building was just one of many of its kind and there was nothing special that made it stand out. On the walls of the gallery hung many beautiful painting depicting Japanese gardens, pictures of warriors, of oceans, and of other things. There was no one in the building and the lights were dimmed, making the place seem even more deserted than it already was.

Sesshoumaru walked into the small building with bags in his hands. Towards the back is a set of stairs that he takes, completely bypassing the paintings on the wall not even stopping to take a look.

When he reached the top of the stairs he balances the bags on his hip and opened the door to reveal a small apartment. Like the art gallery below, the apartment is nothing exciting. There was a kitchen, two bedrooms, a living room, and a small balcony that faced the inner city.

Sesshoumaru set his bags down on the counter and began putting his groceries away. He notices a man in his living room sitting in one of his chairs that has a couple of canvases that are wrapped up.

"What can I help you with John?" Sesshoumaru says casually to his art dealer while continuing to put his groceries away.

Not answering his question, John opts for one of his own. "Why do painters always live upstairs? You know these things are heavy," he says pointing to some canvases.

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Did you sell anything?"

"That's what I'm here to talk to you about Sesshoumaru. Come have a seat," John says as he motions to the chair in front of him.

Sesshoumaru stops his activities and slowly sits himself in his chair. He leaned back all the way until he rested comfortably before giving John the okay to continue.

"You know Sesshoumaru, if you would simply allow me to tell people, especially women, who painted these paintings, I could sell many of them. Just ask any painter these days; you need publicity to sell your work," John told him.

Sesshoumaru gave the man a calculating look before he answered. "Look John as much as I would like to give you the 'go ahead', the old Sesshoumaru Taisho is dead; end of story," he said as he took out a block of wood and an old weathered knife. "So…no one liked them? I mean, as paintings?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself Sesshoumaru. Art is a very competitive profession; what do you expect in two or three months?" John said in efforts to placate him. He notices that Sesshoumaru had taken out a knife and was a bit surprised.

"What happened to your pocket knife?" John asked him.

Sesshoumaru looked up from his carving, a hobby he picked up when he was in between paintings, and looked at John. "It's gone," he answered easily.

John sighed. "What a pity. It was a nice knife; and what a great inscription."

"That is what the owner of the pawn shop said too," Sesshoumaru told him as he went back to his carving.

John shook his head and looked around the room that doubled as Sesshoumaru's studio. He noticed a new work and went over to examine it.

"Did you do this without a model?" John asked him.

Without even looking up from his work, Sesshoumaru replied, "From memory."

John takes a closer look and puts his chin between his forefinger and thumb. "The anatomy looks a little strange."

Sesshoumaru looked up and then went to John's side to examine the painting himself. "Where?"

His art dealer points with a practiced eye and then points to the error. "Right here."

They both look at the painting for a moment, studying it carefully. Sesshoumaru gives a light huff. "You'd think that the one thing I'd be able to paint…" he trailed off as he shook his head disappointingly. "I guess I will have to get a job."

"Don't give up so quickly Sesshoumaru; it's not like you. You know how the industry is, just give it a bit more time," John said trying to console his friend.

Sesshoumaru had changed so much in a matter of a couple of months. When Sesshoumaru had told him he wished to take up painting again, he was nothing short of shocked. He knew that Sesshoumaru had a lot of talent, and with his fame, he was sure to sell a lot of his works. But then Sesshoumaru had told him he did not want to use his name to sell the paintings, and well, a big name would have helped him quite a bit in this business.

"Give it time…"

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Sesshoumaru was sitting on the balcony of his apartment. He looked out over the distance and could faintly make out the looming form of the Empire State building. Just a few more months and he would be able to see Kagome again. He hoped that she was fairing well in her life; better than him. He did not know where she was; for all that he knew she was still in Los Angeles. 

When he closed his eyes he could still see her smiling face; he could feel her warm hands brushing over his skin lightly. Her kiss that was so passionate and her soft sighs that she had graced him with before the end of their trip; he could remember them clearly. He could still feel the way she molded perfectly to his body when he had woken up with her in his arms.

Those things, and the smile that she reserved only for him was what gave him the drive to continue to paint in order for him to be able to support her when they were married.

Kagura had been painfully correct in her assumption of her father. The old man sued him for all that he was worth, and even the best lawyers he hired had not been able to help him. He had signed an iron-clad contract and he had been the one to break it; there was no helping him.

Sesshoumaru was left with his clothes, some painting supplies, and his house in Hawaii that they did not know about. The rest was given over to the Wind family; when they did business, they _did_ business. They left him with next to nothing, and the ironic thing was, not a month later did Kagura announce that she was to be married again; this time to a lovely young woman by the name of Sarah whose family owned a large ship yard on the coast of Italy.

He guessed that life had a sick sense of humor saved just for him.

Sesshoumaru never though himself to be a selfish man, but when it cam to wealth it was not that Sesshoumaru needed money to survive; it just made things a hell of a lot easier. He had promised Kagome a beer when they got married and he had every intention of buying her that beer no matter how poor he was.

He was brought out of his musings when he heard his name being called from below on the street. Sesshoumaru stood up and walked to the railing to see his art dealer waving his hands like a mad-man.

"Sesshoumaru!" John called from below.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the man; why didn't he just come up here instead of yelling at him? "Yes? What is it?"

"I have great news!" John started. A cop who was walking the street stopped to look at the commotion the man was starting. A couple of people also stopped, curious as to why this man was yelling.

"I sold one of your women! You know…the one with-" he said as he brought his hands up to his chest to signify breasts. "I got a thousand dollars for her!"

The cop frowned and began walking towards John to question him.

Sesshoumaru allowed himself a grin; he had sold a painting. "I am indeed a pleased man. I am a painter!"

Sesshoumaru moved back into his apartment and took out a bottle of sake, one of the last things that he had brought with him from Japan, and poured two glasses. Soon the door opened and a disheveled looking John walked into the room

"I guess I should have just come up and told you the news; but I just couldn't help it, I was too excited," John said to him.

"What happened to you?" Sesshoumaru asked looking over the man.

"Huh? Oh, the cop said that the next time I want to advertise our sales, that I should do so quietly," he said with a shrug. "That and a couple of women weren't too happy with me after my announcement. Those purses of there are heavier than they look."

They held their glasses up and toasted their good efforts. Things were starting to look up for Sesshoumaru and he was going to take pleasure in this moment for as long as he could.

Two months down, only four to go.

* * *

**_Well, I hope you liked this chapter; we're going to be jumping forward in time in the next chapter: will the two of them be waiting for each other, or has life gotten in the way? Please review!_**

* * *


	9. Meeting at the Top

**_Hello again readers! As promised, one more chapter before the week was out! Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews, you guys keep me writing!_**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

Kagome stepped into the awaiting cab with a nervous smile. She had not slept at all last night, but no one would have been able to tell. The entire night she was up thinking about him; what he would look like (although she was pretty sure he would look as if he had not aged a day), the sound of his voice, the feel of his hands; everything about him. For the past six months, he never left her mind.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

"Midtown Manhattan please," Kagome answered. "Three-hundred fifty, Fifth Avenue."

The driver nodded his head and took off in that direction. Kagome watched the buildings all pass before her with a far away gaze. Street after street they passed, but Kagome saw none of it. Her thoughts were solely on one man: Sesshoumaru. Even if she wanted to stop smiling at the thought of them finally being together, she could not. The smile on her face was going to remain their forever.

They would live a humble life together, having breakfast together, watching television together, and going to bed together. It would be the two of them against the world and it would be perfect.

When they came to a red light Kagome was shaken out of her day dreams. She noticed a small boutique that she had been to a few months ago and she asked the cab driver to pull over.

"Thank you, but do you think you could drop me off here?" Kagome asked him. He pulled over to the side and she paid her fare.

She walked into the small store and noticed that besides herself, there were only two other shoppers inside. She looked around a bit more and noticed a middle-aged woman wearing a bright red hat and smiled. Kagome cleared her throat to gain the woman's attention and when she did so the woman was instantly at her side.

"My dear Ms. Higurashi! It has been months since we've last seen you in our store; how are you?" the woman bellowed.

"I'm doing quite well thank you Diane. I was wondering if you could help me?"

"Are you kidding? Anything I can do to help you, you just let me know; don't think I don't repay acts of kindness. My son had a great time at his prom because of you!"

"Yes, well," Kagome began nervously, "he was truly something."

The woman in the red hat, Diane, beamed at Kagome then grabbed her hands. "Now, what can I do for you Ms. Higurashi?"

"I'm looking for something simple, but beautiful. It has to capture attention," Kagome explained to Diane.

"Of course, I'll see what we…Oh look there's Terry! Terry," Diane shouted to one of her salespersons. "Look who it is, it's Ms. Higurashi!"

"Oh hello Ms. Higurashi!" the woman named Terry shouted.

"Hello, how are you Terry?" Kagome politely replied.

"I was just asking Diane what had happened to you since we haven't seen you in so long, and well, here you are!" Terry said instead of answering back.

"Isn't it wonderful," Kagome said dryly.

"So what are we helping you find today Ms. Higurashi? Ball gown? Cocktail Dress? Pajamas?" Terry asked.

"Well, you're getting warmer," Kagome played with her a bit.

"A nightgown?" Terry asked. At Kagome's slight blush Terry took that as a yes and motioned for Kagome to follow her.

"I'll be right back ladies," Diane said to Terry and Kagome.

Diane walked to the back of the store to enter a small office. She walked to the desk in the corner and picked up her phone. After a couple of rings, someone finally picked up.

"Hello? Is this…" she trailed off as she looked at a piece of paper. "Is this Inuyasha Matsumoto?" Terry asked.

"_Yes it is. Who is this?"_ Inuyasha asked.

"This is Diane Foster of Foster's boutique. About a month ago you said to call if Ms. Higurashi came back into our store."

"_And?"_

"Well, she's in here now-"

"_She is?! Well, please, give her anything she wants in your shop, but please keep her there until I arrive. I've waited too long to find her and I'm not going to lose her so soon. Will you do that for me?" _

"Yes of course Mr. Matsumoto, I'll do what I can," Diane said before she hung up the phone.

She walked back out into the store and found Kagome and Terry searching through the nightgowns. Terry was holding up a red one and a white one for Kagome's inspection while Kagome also held a black one in her hand.

Kagome sighed loudly. "I don't know which one to get. What do you think?" she asked Terry.

Terry looked at them all and shook her head. "I honestly don't know, I don't think you could go wrong with any of them."

Terry looks at Diane who is giving her an 'okay' sign and Terry smiles. "I'm sorry Ms. Higurashi, if you'll please excuse me for a minute…"

Kagome nods and takes the two other nightgowns from Terry as she walked away. Not too long after Diane approaches Kagome to see what she has chosen. Kagome looks up at her and asks the same question.

"So, which one do you think? Do you like the red one?"

"Why don't you take all of them Ms. Higurashi," Diane said as she smiled. "And what about shoes? A girl can never go wrong by having a good pair of shoes or two."

"Well-" Kagome began.

"Hey look what just came in!" Terry said as she walked back into the store with an armful of clothes.

"Let me guess, you were just hiding those until the next time I came to your store?" Kagome asked them.

"Yes," Diane said.

Kagome shook her head and the girls laughed. For the next hour they helped Kagome pick out several outfits to her choosing, as well as a couple new purses and a pair of sunglasses. By the time she was ready to leave, Kagome was carrying five bags in her arms.

"Are you sure we can't help you find anything else Ms. Higurashi?" Diane asked.

"Um, no I'm pretty sure even if I wanted to buy more I wouldn't be able to carry it," Kagome said with a small laugh.

"We could have your purchases sent to you if you'd like," Terry offered.

Kagome smiled at the two women then. "I think that would be great, thank you!"

"Where would you like us to send it?" Terry asked.

Kagome thought about it for a minute before she replied. "You know, I'm not exactly sure yet. Can I call you and let you know?"

"Of course," Diane said.

Kagome started to hand them the money to pay for her items when Diane held out a hand to stop her.

"There will be no charge today Ms. Higurashi."

"No charge?" Kagome asked disbelievingly.

"Nope; no charge," Diane reiterated.

Kagome slowly put her money back into her purse and then shrugged. "Alright then, suit yourselves. Thank you for all your help today."

The two woman smile at her and followed her quickly when she began to walk out the door. Kagome looked back when she thought she heard them running after her, but they were standing at the doorway with huge smiles plastered on their faces.

"We hope you come back soon Ms. Higurashi!" Terry said.

"Don't make it so long in between visits this time," Diane added nicely.

Kagome nodded a bit and then waved at them. "Good-bye Diane, good-bye Terry."

The two women smile triumphantly and quickly push back into the store. Kagome raised one of her eyebrows at their antics. She started to turn around but ran into someone.

"Oh I'm so sorry! I guess I should—Inuyasha?!" Kagome shouted as she saw who she ran into.

"Hi Kagome," Inuyasha replied.

"What are you doing here? How did you know I was--oh I see" Kagome said as she looked back at the store she just left and the two women who were peaking out the window from inside. She shook her head at them and their eyes widened before they disappeared form sight.

"What time is it Inuyasha? I'm late," Kagome asked him politely.

Inuyasha looked at his watch. "It's five minutes to five," he answered her.

Kagome smiled at him. "It's really good to see you Inuyasha."

"It's really good to see you too Kagome. You know, we have a lot to talk about," he told her.

"I know, but I really can't now, I'm in a bit of a hurry," she rushed.

"Can't we just go somewhere and have a drink?" Inuyasha bargained. "I have a lot I need to speak to you about."

"I'm really sorry Inuyasha, but I can't. Why don't you call me sometime-no, I guess you can't do that when I'm going to be mar-" Kagome stopped short of what she was going to say and closed her eyes not wanting to see his face after her confession.

"Oh, I see. So, you're getting-"

"Yes I am Inuyasha…and I'm late," Kagome said softly. "What time did you say it was again?"

"It's now four minutes till five. Funny, I guess I came all the way here just to give you the time," Inuyasha said down heartened.

"I'm sorry Inuyasha; really I am. Now, I have to go," Kagome said as she walked away.

"Good-bye Kagome. Good luck!" he yelled after her. He put his head down and looked at the sidewalk. When he looked back up Kagome was walking past him.

"I guess you can tell how nervous and excited I am; I thought the Empire State building was this way, but it's really that way," Kagome said quickly as she walked by again.

Inuyasha shook his head and gave her a small smile. He watched as she hailed a cab and got in before he sighed to himself. Kagome looked amazing; he could have sworn she was glowing.

For six months he had tried tracking her down to make sure she was okay. He found out that she had moved to New York, and with some help from different connections he had made, he had tracked her down to the boutique. She looked absolutely wonderful, and he was happy for her.

* * *

Kagome watched as the Empire State building came close into view. There were many people surrounding it as well as going in it. The street was crowded and traffic was at a standstill. The cab driver insisted that she stay in the cab so that he could drop her off in front of the building, but when she saw that it was so close she decided she could not wait any longer.

"I think I'll get their faster if I walk from here," Kagome told the cab driver. "I'm in a hurry."

Kagome handed him the fare and stepped outside of the cab. Before she got out completely the driver asked, "What's the hurry?"

Kagome turned towards him and gave him a great smile. "I'm getting married, and I want you to be the first to congratulate me!"

The driver smiled back and held out his hand for her to shake. "Congratulations."

"Thank you!" Kagome shouted as she shut the door.

The cab drove off and Kagome turned around to face the building across the street. She looked up towards the top of it and sighed. Six months of waiting finally at an end; she was finally going to be with Sesshoumaru. It had been six months since she had seen his gorgeous face and felt his inviting lips, or heard his deep, wonderful voice. She truly hoped that he would be there waiting for her, although she had no doubt he would be.

Kagome gave herself a mental shake and she started to push her way through the crowd in the crosswalk, trying to get across so she could meet with her destiny. She was almost across when someone gave her a hard shove which caused her to fall back into the street with a stumble.

She turned to glare at the person who pushed her, but instead turned just in time to see a car headed straight toward her. Time seemed to still in that moment and everything afterwards felt like a dream. She gave a small jump to protect her legs and avoid being dragged under the car and was propelled upwards and into the car's windshield. Kagome was tossed over the car like a rag doll and the people on the sidewalks looked on in horror.

Kagome could hear screams and the sounds of horns honking, but all she could think of before her head hit the unforgiving cement was that Sesshoumaru was waiting for her, and that she was sorry she could not make it. Flashes of his silver hair and amber eyes danced through her head; and then, unconsciousness took over her.

* * *

Sesshoumaru was, for the first time he could remember in his life, a nervous wreck. He had been waiting for six months to see Kagome again, and today he would finally get his chance.

In his excitement, Sesshoumaru showed up at the Empire State building a half-hour earlier than their scheduled agreement, just in case. Every night for the past six months he dreamt of Kagome. And every morning for the past six months he awoke disappointed that she was not next to him in bed, wrapped securely in his arms and smiling at him with that mesmerizing smile.

So now he waited.

He almost damned himself for showing up early, for now; every time the elevator doors would open he was looking for her, just to be disappointed when she was not in there. Sesshoumaru never thought himself a patient man, and this was killing him. He looked over from his spot against the wall and saw that the elevator was coming up.

Sesshoumaru watched as the next elevator lift opened and he walked over towards it. There were only two people in the car and neither of them were Kagome. He scowled a bit and checked his watch; there were still twenty minutes before five.

"Are you going down sir?" asked the elevator boy.

Sesshoumaru looked at him and shook his head in the negative. "No."

Sesshoumaru watched as a couple of people got into the elevator and then the doors once again closed and then sighed. He walked over towards a window that looked out over the city. His face is set seriously as he contemplates how he reached this point in his life.

For most of his lifetime he was known as a ruthless businessman with an iron fist and a thirst for the blood of his rival companies. When he had gotten engaged to Kagura Wind he thought for sure it was what he wanted; a strong ally in the brutal business world. Her and her father's company would have given him wealth beyond imagination, and more power than anyone should ever have. And then, with no less than a look from a petite Japanese woman with a spitfire attitude, his entire perspective on life changed as he knew it.

And now here he was, waiting like a love-sick schoolboy for the woman that had turned his world upside down. He allowed a smirk to cross his features at his own thoughts.

He looked back over to the elevator and noticed that the car was coming back up. Sesshoumaru casually made his way over towards the elevator once more and leaned against a wall close by.

Another couple of people step out of the car, but there was still no sign of Kagome. A few more people replaced the ones that had come up and he watched them without emotion.

"Going down?" the elevator boy asks Sesshoumaru again.

"No," Sesshoumaru started. He looked at his watch again and stops the doors of the elevator from closing. "What time do you have?"

The elevator boy looks at his own watch and then answers. "I have ten minutes after five."

Sesshoumaru nodded his thanks and watched again as the elevator doors closed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _'She could just be running late'_ he told himself as he walked back over to the window and looked out over the city again.

He watched as couple after couple came off the elevator, and still no Kagome.

The darker the sky got, the further his hope sank in thinking that she was going to show up. As if the heavens were sharing in his pity, the skies then opened up and let loose the rain. Sesshoumaru watched from the warm confines of the building, which suddenly felt very cold, as the world became blanketed with water from above. Every now and then a flash of lightening would light up the night sky and startle him from his thoughts.

The elevator came up again and the elevator boy announced allowed. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is now 1:45am and the Empire State building will be closing in fifteen minutes; please stand in line for the elevator."

Sesshoumaru heard him, but could not bring himself to enter the elevator; not just yet. The crowd grew smaller and smaller and Sesshoumaru had not moved from his position on the top floor against the window. He felt his world grow small and cursed the fates. Kagome had not come to meet him; he could only hope that she was happy with her decision, and he wished her the best.

For the final time that night the elevator made its way up.

"Going down?" the boy asked once more.

Sesshoumaru took one last look out over the city before turning towards the elevator. "Yes," he answered.

"I'm sorry sir," the boy tells him while the elevator doors close.

"So am I," Sesshoumaru stated.

The ride down was incredibly too long and the silence was deafening. Sesshoumaru could do nothing but stare at his reflection in the mirrors of the elevator and wish that he was somebody else at this point in time; preferably the person that may have Kagome with them now.

The cart came to a halt on the bottom floor and Sesshoumaru tipped the boy. He did not even bother to call a taxi cab, but would find solace in walking in the rain tonight. The 'city that never sleeps' lived up to its name, as there were still many people out and about even at this time of night, and even in this type of weather. Sesshoumaru walked silently along the sidewalk; not seeing anyone for his mind was blank.

Within the hour he found himself back at his small apartment completely soaked from head to toe because of the rain. He trudged up the small staircase and opened his door. No lights were on in his place, but it mattered not to him tonight. Sesshoumaru did not bother to turn on any lights as he walked across the room to his chair.

Here in the darkness and the silence with only the rain and thunder to keep him company, Sesshoumaru gave a sardonic smile to himself. For him, this was the way of life. He met someone beautiful, intelligent, funny, and full of life; someone he fell deeply for and who he thought had fallen deeply for him. Now he was left with nothing but bittersweet memories of her and a houseful of paintings of her to remind him of what he could have had.

* * *

**_Please don't hate me! I know this was a sad chapter, but it was necessary! I hope you still enjoyed it, please feel free to send me reviews; just be kind to me :)_**

* * *


	10. Always On My Mind

**_Hello again readers! Sorry to leave you in suspense, but I swear I did not mean for it to work out like that, it just did :) Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, they all made me happy!_**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

Inuyasha paced the hallways of the hospital wing impatiently. Having been notified of Kagome's accident, he rushed there as soon as possible and had done nothing but wait since. The doctors could tell him nothing of what was wrong with her. They said all the x-rays looked normal, but she had a large bump on the back of her head from where she hit the pavement. Any other information on her well-being would have to be learned of when she woke up.

One of the doctors emerged from Kagome's room then and Inuyasha walked quickly towards him.

"Has she woken up yet?" Inuyasha asked the doctor.

"No, she hasn't, but her vitals are all looking stable and as of right now she doesn't seem to be in a lot of pain," the doctor explained to him. "Are you the man she was yelling for under the anesthetic?"

Inuyasha frowned a bit at this. "No, that's somebody else; she was on her way to marry him."

"Has he been informed of her accident?" the doctor questioned.

"No; I've known Kagome for a long time and she wouldn't want to burden more people than necessary. She'll probably let him know when she's ready."

The doctor nodded and looked back towards Kagome's room. "That's very noble of her. She seems like a nice girl and I haven't even had the pleasure of meeting her yet."

Inuyasha smiled at the doctor. "Yes, she is very kind."

"Thank you for informing us of all her personal information; it helps a lot to know what vaccinations she had received within the last year, and with her recent relocation from Japan, that information was definitely needed," the doctor told him.

Inuyasha nodded his head. "It's not a problem. If you don't mind, may I please go sit in there with her?"

"Sure. Maybe a familiar voice will help her wake up sooner," the doctor said before she took her leave.

Inuyasha sighed. So many things had changed in the course of a few months, but he would never have wished for something bad like this to happen to Kagome. He had wondered time and time again if things would have been different if only he had tried to hold onto her just a little harder. Inuyasha shook his head; now was not the time to be thinking about things like that. He was going to make sure Kagome was taken care of so that she could be happy again.

He closed his eyes and then pushed open the door to her room. The least he could do was give her a little bit of company; he wanted to make sure she saw a friendly face when she woke up.

* * *

Kagome had no idea where she was as she slowly came back to the conscious world. She opened her eyes and had to shut them again quickly when bright white lights overhead blinded her tired eyes. She tried again and this time was able to focus in on the offending lights; this place did not look familiar. 

She turned her head to the side and was immediately assaulted with a harsh ache in the back of her head. She reached up to rub a hand against her head and then saw the bandages and an IV. She was at a hospital that much was for sure now. But why was she here? Kagome looked around the room but it brought her no answers. All she could do was wait until someone came in to check on her.

Kagome sat up a little in her bed when she heard her door open.

Inuyasha walked in and was a little surprised to see Kagome wide awake when only moments ago the doctor had said she was still sleeping. He walked to her bedside and sat down in a chair close to her.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hello," Kagome replied.

"H-how are you feeling," Inuyasha asked her. He hated hospitals and it was making him uneasy just to see her in the hospital bed. Granted from the looks of her she was fine, but it was an unnatural setting for her to be in. She looked too…small.

"I'm feeling okay; the back of my head hurts though," Kagome answered.

"I'm sorry to hear that, I'll make sure the doctor knows so she can give you something for the pain."

Kagome nodded. "Um, what happened? Why am I here?"

"Well, from what I heard you were pushed into traffic and a car hit you. Luckily you didn't break anything, although, you'll probably be pretty sore for a while," Inuyasha informed her.

Kagome shook her head disbelievingly; why didn't she remember any of this? "I don't recall any of that. How long am I going to be here?"

"I'm not sure yet, before I came in you were still sleeping, so the doctor doesn't even know you're awake. I should probably go get her and let her know. Do you need anything while I'm out?"

"No I don't think so. Thank you Inuyasha," Kagome said before he walked out of the room.

Not too long after, the door opened again when the doctor came to check up on her patient.

"Ah Ms. Higurashi, it's good to see you awake," the doctor told her in broken Japanese. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing okay; my head hurts a little bit. Um, may I ask, are you from here?" Kagome questioned her doctor.

"Yes I am; I've lived here my whole life. I've thought about moving a couple of times, but New York just feels like home to me," the doctor told her.

Kagome furrowed her brows a bit. "New York?"

The doctor looked up from examining Kagome's head. "Yes Kagome, this is New York. Why? Where did you think we were?" the doctor asked trying to confirm her suspicions.

"Well, I thought I was in Japan," Kagome stated like it was obvious. "I'm not in Japan?"

The doctor wanted to sigh in disappointment; nothing was physically wrong with Kagome, but now she knew Kagome was not entirely okay.

Inuyasha walked in the door holding two cups of tea. He placed one on the table for himself and the other on the tray for Kagome. At the serious expression on the doctor's face, Inuyasha instantly went on alert.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" he asked frantically.

The doctor turned towards Kagome. "I'm not sure if you want him to be here for what I'm going to say, but it might help to have him around."

Kagome became worried then; just what was wrong with her?

"No, I want him here. Please, tell us what's wrong," Kagome pleaded.

"Well, it seems to me that you have a case of what we call anterograde amnesia caused by your head injury," the doctor began.

"What is that exactly?" Inuyasha interrupted. The doctor nodded her head, expecting someone to ask.

"What anterograde amnesia is is basically memory loss in which new events are not transferred from short-term memory to long-term memory. So, in other words, you Kagome, cannot remember recent events, in this case events that happened less than a year ago from what Inuyasha has told me."

"Great, so I'm missing an entire year of my life," Kagome said angrily. She turned to Inuyasha then, expecting him to start filling in the blanks. "So what's happened? What am I missing?"

The doctor bowed out of the conversation and quietly left the room. They had a lot to talk about.

"Look Kagome, I don't exactly know what to tell you; I haven't been around you all that much this year, so I don't know everything that happened."

Kagome looked as if she was about to speak, but Inuyasha stopped her and spent the next few minutes explaining all that he could about her situation. When he had finished, Kagome was all but in tears. She felt disgusted with herself.

"You're telling me that on the way here to America to see _you_ I ended up falling in love with your brother and now we're supposed to be getting married?" Kagome said disbelievingly.

Inuyasha nodded his head and Kagome let the tears fall. "I'm so sorry Inuyasha; I can't imagine what you think of me! I'm so sorry," she cried on.

He walked over to her and gave her a big embrace. "Kagome, quit apologizing, we've already been through this. I know you don't remember, but really, we're okay. Everything's okay," he reassured her.

Kagome sniffed a few times and then pulled back from his embrace. This was so much for her to take in. Things like this weren't supposed to happen to her, she was just Kagome.

"Do you want me to try and get in touch with Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha asked breaking the silence.

Kagome thought about it for a moment but then answered. "No, I don't think so. I just want to go home and think things through. Until I remember, I don't want to be a burden on someone I don't know."

Inuyasha nodded his acceptance of her decision. "You know, I'll be here for you if you need me. I got an apartment here in New York to live in while I'm here, so I'll be close by."

"Thank you Inuyasha," Kagome said and gave him a smile. "I want to be able to take care of myself; just because I don't remember anything that has happened within the last year, doesn't mean that I'm helpless."

"Yeah I know. I heard you were working at a night club in Manhattan; I'm sure the owner would be glad to have you back considering you were the one who quit," Inuyasha informed her.

"How do you know all this?" Kagome asked genuinely curious.

Inuyasha shrugged a little. "I have my ways. Just trust that everything will be alright. Inuyasha, after everything I've done to you, how can you still be so kind to me?"

"Kagome, we can't help who we love. I love you and I always will, but you found that happiness with someone else. I've always heard, 'if you love someone you have to let them go'. I just want you to be happy."

Kagome smiled at him; he truly was a great person, and she hoped that he would be happy too one day. "I think I want to better myself; I haven't been a great person."

"What do you have in mind?" Inuyasha asked.

"I don't know. I finished school with a teaching credential in performing arts, so I don't see why I shouldn't put that to use. Maybe when I get out of here I'll start looking for a job as a music teacher."

"I can help you with that," Inuyasha offered.

"No, you've already done so much for me. I can manage this on my own. Thank you though."

There was a knock on the door before it opened and the doctor walked inside.

"Ms. Higurashi, I have your papers; all your tests came back good, so as soon as you sign these, you're free to go," the doctor told her.

Kagome took the offered papers. Things were going to be very strange for a while. When Inuyasha had told her the story of what had happened within the last year she was overwhelmed. However, when he had said the name Sesshoumaru, her mind reacted in the most unusual way. She had felt a smile tugging on her face and a light blush creep over her cheeks. Strange that the mere mention of a name would do that to her.

Kagome was definitely looking forward to remembering the last few months. In the back recesses of her mind she knew that she should probably try and contact this Sesshoumaru, but if what Inuyasha had told her was true, then she really did not want to burden him. It would be better for Sesshoumaru to have a fiancée that remembered him.

It was for the best.

* * *

Sesshoumaru took a long look around the garden before him. He had not been away for very long, but all the same, it felt like forever to him. He slowly walked up the drive with even steps. The sun was starting to set giving this beautiful place even more of a paradise feel.

Sesshoumaru took a deep breath in, indulging in this out of character action. The air here was always so fresh, and the peacefulness gave a person some much needed quiet in order to think.

That much needed quiet was soon interrupted by a loud squeal and the sound of tiny footsteps making their way quickly towards him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!!!!" screamed a high pitched voice.

The corners of his mouth turned up into a small grin and he quickly lifted the little girl into his arms while she giggled. He spun her around a couple of times and then set her back on her feet.

"Hello Rin. How is it that you have grown so much in only a short amount of time?" Sesshoumaru questioned the young girl.

Rin smiled brightly at him before she gave him her genuine answer. "It is because I turned seven when you were away!"

He nodded his head and then she took his hand in hers to lead him into the house. "Mom can't come meet you out here, the doctor said she needs to rest because she's so fat," Rin said with blatant honesty.

Sesshoumaru felt a smile wanting to break through at Rin's innocence. No doubt Sango was very big by now and due to give birth within the next month. He walked in quietly just in case Sango was sleeping and was met by a very tired looking Miroku.

Miroku looked up from his cup of tea and then quickly shot to his feet when he saw Sesshoumaru standing in the doorway.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, what a surprise! We were not expecting to see you so soon after your last visit," Miroku said as he bowed.

"I was not exactly planning on coming here, but it is where I ended up," Sesshoumaru admitted off-handedly.

Miroku took a moment to look over his long-time friend. Sesshoumaru looked as if he had not slept in days. He had never seen him look so disheveled; it was a bit unnerving. His hair was not tied back in his standard low ponytail, but instead it was hanging loose over his shoulders. Instead of the customary business suit he was used to seeing him in, Sesshoumaru now wore khaki slacks and a white polo shirt. All-in-all the effect was surprisingly casual.

"I've heard of the troubles that the Wind family had caused. Please accept my apologies and know that Sango and I will help you in any way possible," Miroku offered after a moment.

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "It will not be necessary, but it is appreciated," he told him.

Taking a step to get out of the slightly awkward moment, Miroku motioned for Sesshoumaru to take a seat while he poured him some tea. A thought hit him and he suddenly walked over to a small table and then sat back down hading Sesshoumaru a package.

"Sango gave me this to send to you today, but seeing as how you're here, you might was well save me the postage," Miroku said.

Sesshoumaru took the package and opened it slightly to see its contents. Inside were a bunch of tiny seeds in small baggies with pictures taped to them.

"Sango said it was for the woman, Kagome, which was here with you the last time you visited," Miroku said. He heard his name being called from the back of the house and got up.

"I'll be right back Sesshoumaru-sama, Sango's calling me," he said as he walked away.

Sesshoumaru looked at the package in his hands and cursed the bad timing of this parcel. He had just started to make peace with the events that had happened and now, as if the universe wanted to constantly remind him of it, he got this placed in his hands.

He stood up from the couch and moved around the room towards the piano. Distantly Sesshoumaru could still hear Kagome's voice as she sung along to his piano playing. Perhaps it was a mistake coming back here; there were so many memories still fresh and floating around of her. It seemed as if he could not escape her no matter where he went to.

Sesshoumaru gave himself a mental shake and then opened the doors that led outside. Miroku came back from tending to Sango just in time to see Sesshoumaru walk out and went to follow him. There was something that was bothering his friend, and it was definitely _not_ in Sesshoumaru's character to let anything get to him like this.

"Are you going to be leaving soon Sesshoumaru-sama?" Miroku asked.

Sesshoumaru turned to Miroku; his expression blank as he thought on his answer. It was always a tempting idea to stay here whenever he came to visit, but he always had someplace else to be. However, now he had nowhere to go and no one to see, so why not allow himself this?

"No, I believe I will stay here for a while," Sesshoumaru answered him.

"If I may ask Sesshoumaru-sama-" Miroku began.

"I'd rather you not," Sesshoumaru interrupted him. He then saw the disheartened look on Miroku's face and relented. "What is it?"

"It's just that, well, you seem so down. What happened?"

Sesshoumaru wanted to sigh; he knew that question would come up; he was just hoping to have more time to prepare for it.

"Did you know I was to be married Miroku?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Miroku nodded. "Of course, to Ms. Kagura Wind…"

"No, not her; that woman that was here with me the last time. She and I had become close on our trip. We decided that we would meet in six months time, after we tied up loose ends if we still desired to be together."

Miroku was, needless to say, surprised. "Really? And what happened?"

Sesshoumaru took a moment before he answered. "Six months I waited for her; I've never felt so vulnerable, it is not something I like to feel. Six months of anticipating, planning, painting. I was there nearly half an hour early at our determined spot…" Sesshoumaru trailed off a bit. While he was talking he had got a faraway look in his eyes, and Miroku imagined that he was reliving the events in his head.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Miroku asked trying to break the spell that held his friend.

"I waited; she never came. I felt like a fool, I honestly thought she would show. I lost everything."

Miroku gulped down his uneasiness. He had never heard Sesshoumaru talk in such a manner; he sounded so defeated.

"Leave me," Sesshoumaru stated then.

Miroku was startled and was ready to protest, but reluctantly nodded and turned to go back into the house. "I'll be sure your room is ready for your stay. I'm sure Rin will be happy to know that you'll be here for a while."

Sesshoumaru said nothing as Miroku disappeared. He looked over the grounds of his Hawaiian villa and his eyes landed on his dojo. He would always find solace in practicing with his old swords and meditation.

With purpose, he strode to the dojo to begin forgetting about the woman that insisted in flooding his mind with images of herself which never gave him a moment's piece of mind.

* * *

About two weeks later, Kagome was able to find a teaching position with a small school not far from her apartment. Inuyasha had been very helpful in showing her how to get around Manhattan, and she picked up her directions quite easily. As grateful as she was to Inuyasha, Kagome wanted him to leave her to her own devices. As it was she already felt that she was in his debt, and she was pretty sure he was seeking the type of relationship that she was not sure she wanted to give him any more.

So now, as she went in to the classroom for the first day, Kagome was overcome by a sense of nervousness, but as well as pride that she had landed this job on her own, without Inuyasha's help. He had insisted a few times that he go with her, but she had turned down his offer.

Kagome walked through the school grounds and took note of all the playground equipment. She would be instructing third graders in their music lessons and she was sure she was in for a very interesting school year.

She walked into the classroom and greeted some of the parents that were there for their kid's first day of school. Kagome instantly made great connections with them and put their minds at ease when she took hold of the classroom full of chatting children. Kagome explained about the class in a way that both the parents and the kids understood and then passed out music books to them.

Kagome would be teaching them how to read music and then they would be learning how to sing a few songs for a performance that was planned just before Christmas. A couple of the parents were talking to themselves in the back, but Kagome caught the approving gleams in their eyes and was happy to see that she had such an affect on them this early in the year.

After an hour's class Kagome was left with an empty classroom. She walked around for a while, thinking about nothing in particular. For the past couple weeks she had been haunted by flashes of images of silvery-white hair and amber eyes. If she had not known any better she would have guessed them to be Inuyasha's, but the emotion in those eyes were different from her friend.

The emotions in these eyes were passionate, strong, and determined whereas Inuyasha's eyes held more softness, gentility, and persistence.

Kagome found herself wanting to close her eyes many times throughout the day just to catch a glimpse of these eyes. She had a pretty good idea of who they belonged to; it was just too early to jump to conclusions.

Almost like a mantra, she would say the name 'Sesshoumaru' off and on throughout the day to try and will some of her memory to return to her. She did not expect to remember everything right away, but she was hoping for more progress than what she was currently having.

She was brought out of her thoughts when someone opened the door to the classroom.

"Oh, hello Principal Hanson, what can I do for you?" Kagome asked.

"Not a thing Ms. Higurashi. I just wanted to congratulate you on a successful first day. I got a lot of compliments from many different parents as they left with their children. It seems that you have met with their approval."

"Thank you," Kagome said with a smile. "That means a lot to me. Thank you for this job, I'm sure I'll love it here."

The principal shook his head. "I didn't do much, I merely agreed with three other people that wanted you for this position."

"That's still something," Kagome explained.

"I guess it is," the principal said. "It's amazing what music can do for small children isn't it? They can be terrorizing the room, but as soon as you put some music on, it does something to them."

"Better yet," Kagome added, "Put the music in their hands and see what they can do with it. Just give me a couple of months and you'll see what I mean. They'll be singing like angels," Kagome said playfully.

"That I don't doubt. You had some very impressive qualifications to follow you for this job. I think you'll do great here."

Kagome smiled at the man for his kind words. She hoped she did well here, she did not want to screw up her first teaching job.

"Well I guess I should be going. Keep up the great work Higurashi; if you need anything just ask myself or any other staff here and we'll do our best to help you."

Kagome nodded and the principal left, once again leaving her in an empty room and to her thoughts of silver hair and amber eyes. Her cell phone ringing startled her and she rushed to answer it.

"Hello? Hi Inuyasha…what?" Kagome sighed exasperatedly. "No I do not need you to come walk me home from school..."

* * *

**_Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter...just remember I love happy endings! Please feel free to review!_**


	11. Hello

**_Hello again readers; I'm giving you an early chapter to try and appease the less-than-happy readers that want to maim me; just don't think that it will always work out this way, I work best when I get happy reviews :) Enjoy!_**

* * *

Sesshoumaru kept up with his painting as his source for income even after that fateful day in July. Five months had passed since then and he was acting more and more like himself than he had for first couple of months. He felt freer than he had when he was traveling the world for his work, even though he no longer traveled great distances. 

He saved up enough money while he was living in Hawaii to buy a nice condo in New York; yes he even felt secure enough to stay there now. He had flitted by the prospect of seeing Kagome around, although he did not really expect to.

Sesshoumaru walked with a light bounce in his step and even stopped to give a bell-ringing Santa Clause a couple of dollars. Today he was going to see his friend John about some paintings he had recently done, and with any amount of luck, hopefully sell a few of them.

He continued on his walk and soon found himself just outside of his friend's new art gallery. Sesshoumaru dusted his gloved hands off on his slacks and gently wiped his feet on the mat inside the door.

"Hey Sesshoumaru! Long time no see! What have you been doing with yourself?" John greeted him loudly.

"I have been painting John. I take it you received my shipment?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Yes I did, I haven't opened it yet though, what's say we take a look?"

John walked over to the corner of the gallery and retrieved a large crate. He opened it to reveal several different paintings that Sesshoumaru had created over the months. Sesshoumaru stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall, watching as John inspected his work. He felt quite smug with himself as he watched John nod a few times in appreciation.

"All these in five months? You sure have been keeping yourself busy haven't you?" John lamented.

"You should see the pile of them I burned," Sesshoumaru remarked.

"You know, you can tell a lot about a person's state of mind looking at paintings," John said. "Take this one for example; when you painted this I can tell you were feeling sorry for yourself."

Sesshoumaru looked over at the aforementioned painting and grinned a little. "Yes, actually; that one I painted in August."

"-And here," John continued as he recreated violent brush strokes from a different painting of Sesshoumaru's, "Here you were angry. Getting over that broken heart of yours sure gave you the passion you needed to do this."

Sesshoumaru frowned a little. "I do not get broken hearted. Broken hearts are below me."

John continued on with his inspections, ignoring Sesshoumaru's side comments. "Now this one!" he exclaimed picking up one of the painting towards the back of the crate. "This is where you became an artist!"

Sesshoumaru looked at the painting and shrugged. "Not one of my better works in my opinion, but it has potential I suppose. I had a lot to say, but could not get my words out; so I painted it instead."

John nodded and smiled at his friend. "Sesshoumaru, you have grown quite a lot as an artist since you've been away. As a matter of fact-"

He was cut off by the phone in the art gallery ringing. "Excuse me," John said as he went to answer it.

"Hello?...Yes Ms. Yes, hold on."

John set the phone down and walked over to Sesshoumaru who was still looking at his paintings.

"The phone is for you Sesshoumaru," John informed him.

Sesshoumaru nodded and walked over to the phone.

"This is Sesshoumaru," he quickly said.

"_Sesshoumaru dear!"_ came the familiar voice of Kagura.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes in frustration; how did she find him?

"Hello Kagura-"

"_I heard you were back in town and I called around and finally found someone who said I could reach you at this number. You know, I've been thinking of you quite a bit lately. We really should get together sometime and catch up. What do you say?"_

"Well-"

"_Oh come on Sesshoumaru dear! You can't honestly say that you haven't missed me at all?!"_

"Kagura, your family sued me for all I was worth, or did that slip your mind?" Sesshoumaru said gracefully.

"_Are you still upset over that? I told you exactly what my father was going to do; please do not hold your grudge on me," _Kagura pleaded. _"Please, can't we meet?"_

"Did you not get married?" Sesshoumaru asked her.

"_Yes, and divorced. Now what do you say? There's a concert tonight at Carnegie Hall, I'll leave a ticket at the box office in case you decide to come, which I truly hope you do."_

"I'll see if I can make it," Sesshoumaru stated emotionlessly.

"_Great! And Sesshoumaru, whatever you do, don't make plans for after the show, okay?"_ With that last statement, Kagura ended the call, leaving Sesshoumaru less than amused.

"What was that all about? I haven't seen you look so pale since…well never," John remarked.

"It seems I have a date tonight, as loathe as I am to do so. It would be nice to have an evening out," Sesshoumaru admitted.

"Well, just don't do anything I wouldn't do," John said with a smirk.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at John; was he kidding? "That leaves very little to be desired."

* * *

Throughout the performance Sesshoumaru had felt Kagura's eyes on him. She would try to casually brush her hand against his thigh or would lean in really close to whisper in his ear in an attempt to seduce him. He was ready to leave. 

When the performance ended the hall gave a standing ovation for the orchestra. Sesshoumaru noticed a blonde woman sitting down behind him and he turned slightly to look at her. She wasn't much, but she was better to look at then his date was tonight.

The blonde woman's date gave Sesshoumaru a warning glance and Sesshoumaru arched his eyebrow at him. Kagura, having just caught on to the goings on around her, smacked Sesshoumaru lightly on the arm, bringing his attention back towards the stage.

Kagura looked at the girl that Sesshoumaru was ogling and sneered at her before bringing her own attention back to the stage. Everyone sits down again as the band performs one more piece for the receptive crowd and Kagura placed her hand tightly around Sesshoumaru's knee.

Trying not to be extremely rude, Sesshoumaru cleared his throat and gave Kagura a look that told her to move her hand unless she wanted it removed permanently. With a small gulp Kagura removed her hand and placed it in her own lap once more.

It was not much longer that the band was finished playing again and everyone now stood to leave. Sesshoumaru allows the blonde woman to exit before him and her date gives him another glare before heading up the aisle.

Kagura huffed and crossed her hands over her chest; he had quite the nerve flirting with a woman right in front of her!

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her behavior. He figured since she paid for the tickets that he would try and have a good time. "Where would you like to go from here?"

"Well I don't know Sesshoumaru; I planned this evening for you. Where would you like to go?" she said hotly.

"You forget Kagura; I have not been here in a while, so I am not precisely sure where to go."

The pair continued up the aisle, but as they reach the top Sesshoumaru stops abruptly. Sitting in the aisle seat in the top row sat Kagome dressed beautifully in an ivory colored dress. She still looked as beautiful as he remembered. He noticed that she was sitting next to Inuyasha; someone he had not seen in years and it made his blood run a little cold.

Sesshoumaru gave himself a mental kick and continued walking. He reached Kagome's side and she accidentally dropped her purse. Sesshoumaru debated for a split second before he leaned over to pick it up for her.

Kagome reached for it at the same time, but stopped when she saw someone had grabbed it. She lifted her head up to thank the person but froze when she noticed the pair of amber eyes and silver-white hair that she had dreamt about all these months. Kagome opened and closed her mouth a few times to speak and was finally to squeak out a quiet…

"Hello."

Sesshoumaru did not say anything back, but he bowed and handed Kagome her purse. Just hearing her voice again brought up feelings that he had done so well suppressing for the past few months.

With one last look he started back up the aisle to Kagura's side.

"What were you saying?" Sesshoumaru asked Kagura, glancing back at Kagome from the corner of his eye. The continued now out of the building and out of Kagome's sight.

Kagome frowned as she watched the man that had haunted her dreams walk away from her. She felt so torn as to what to do, but she saw that he was with someone and decided against following after him.

Inuyasha saw the trepidation in her eyes and stood. "You should tell him-let me go get him," he said as he began to follow after Sesshoumaru.

Kagome grabbed his wrist and held him back. "No," she said to him, "no, just…no."

Inuyasha looked at her then with sympathy in his eyes. "I'm sorry Kagome. I know this is the first time you've been out since your accident and it had to be the same night that he's here."

Kagome gave a slight laugh at herself and her luck. "And all I could do was say hello."

They were both silent for a while as Kagome closed her eyes to burn the image of Sesshoumaru into her memory. For months all she had seen of him was his piercing amber eyes and striking silver hair; and now, she had a face, and a body, to go with those.

"Well," Inuyasha said to her, "show's over, you wanna get out of here?"

Kagome nodded and then stood, accepting Inuyasha's arm as he led her out of the hall. She had started to remember things off and on, but nothing that was worth getting excited over. Now, all she would be able to think about would be Sesshoumaru's handsome face and his voice as he left her behind. But she would hold onto those for dear life until the day she could remember him.

* * *

Sesshoumaru sat back in the seat of Kagura's limo and watched the city pass by. There were so many things that he wanted to ask Kagome when he saw her, but he just could not bring himself to say anything. Seeing her with Inuyasha was like a slap in the face and he wasted no time in leaving, lest he do something he would regret.

The limo came to a stop and Sesshoumaru noticed that they were outside of his condo. Along the streets people were still radiating off each other's holiday spirit, but Sesshoumaru felt none of that. He got out of the limo and gave an appreciative bow to Kagura.

"Good night Kagura; and thank you for this evening," Sesshoumaru said quietly.

Kagura gave a half-hearted smile to him; he had not said a word since they entered the limo and she had a sneaking suspicion as to why.

"I suppose asking you out tonight wasn't such a good idea," Kagura said.

Sesshoumaru stood up straight and turned his head to watch the crowd of people. True his day was going well until tonight, but he was grateful for the time out nonetheless. He turned back towards Kagura and gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

"Happy holidays," he told her and then walked towards his condo.

Kagura watched his retreating back with regret; the once proud business man had been reduced down to only a shadow of his former self. She did not want to know all of the details, but she was sure that it was not a pretty sight.

"Happy holidays," Kagura whispered and then drove off.

Sesshoumaru was about to walk inside of the building where his condo awaited him, but though differently. He still could not get Kagome's face out of his mind and he was not ready to go to sleep yet.

He turned and started a nice walk down the city streets, all the while cursing the people and their good moods. Sesshoumaru now hated this time of year, although he never really was particularly fond of it anyway; but now he just hated it more. The bright lights were all a taunting mass for people who did not feel cheery. They mocked the less fortunate and they made memories come forward unbidden.

Sesshoumaru stopped walking long enough to pull a cigarette out of his pocket and light it. He looked up high in the sky and watched from a distance as the Empire State building loomed over head in silent ridicule. The lights of the building shown brightly in the night sky and Sesshoumaru closed his eyes as thoughts of July came forward.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not notice the drunken man stumbling down the street dragging a small partially dead Christmas tree behind him. Nor did he notice when the drunk looked at him, then at the building that had caught Sesshoumaru's attention, and then back at him again.

The drunk snorted and struck up conversation.

"Whasa matter buddy? Yous gots troubles?" the drunk asked him.

Sesshoumaru turned his head to look at the drunken man, but did not say anything to him. So the drunken man continued.

"Yous don' even knows what troubles is…look a' me, I live all za way on 186th street, an' theys won' even lemme on the bus."

As if waiting for that moment, a bus pulls up and stops. The drunken man's eyes light up and he goes to the door of the bus. The driver took a good look at him and noticed both that the man was drunk and he was carrying a Christmas tree and refused to let him on. The driver closed the door on him and started to pull away.

Sesshoumaru watched as the drunk yelled a few obscenities and then proceeded to throw his small Christmas tree at the back of the bus.

The drunk staggered over to Sesshoumaru with a scowl on his face. "I ain't gonna celebrates Christmas this years. Imma just gets good an' drunk!" The drunk then walked away, leaving Sesshoumaru highly amused and in a much lighter spirit.

Sesshoumaru took one last look at the Empire State building and walked back to his condo.

* * *

Kagome sat back further into her seat within the confines of Inuyasha's limousine. She watched as people scurried across the streets to get all of their shopping finished, and watched to happy faces of many of the patrons. Kagome did not share in their joy. 

When she had seen Sesshoumaru tonight she wanted to keep him with her to help her remember their time together, but it would have been selfish on her part. Over the months her frustration for not being able to remember more than that man's eyes and hair had taken its toll on her. He was the only thing she could think of, yet he was also the only thing she could not remember.

Inuyasha looked over to Kagome and noticed her faraway stare. He sighed and leaned over a bit to talk to her.

"You know," he said suddenly and made her jump. "I fell really bad about taking you home when everyone else is starting to come out. Are you sure you don't want to go to dinner or something?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, thank you though; I think I just want to go home."

"Kagome look. I know I've asked you before, but please tell me again. Why won't you let me help you more? I could pay to have a specialist help you with your memory; you could possibly get it back sooner."

Kagome looked over at him and smiled. She felt a strong obligation to Sesshoumaru even though she could not remember him, and thus had turned down Inuyasha for his help.

"Alright Inuyasha; I'll tell you again. If _you_ were to pay for me to get better then _he_ wouldn't like it…and if _he_ wouldn't like it, then chances are _I_ wouldn't like it. And if you _did_ get me well and then I go to _him_…well, you wouldn't like it," Kagome explained.

Inuyasha wrapped his head around her explanation and sighed again. "Then you really should just tell him; that way he can-"

"You know I can't do that Inuyasha. If he knew then he would insist on me getting treatment with money that you told me he doesn't have. And then what happens if he spends that money he doesn't have and I don't get better? That would be awful. He would feel terrible and I would feel terrible," Kagome went on.

She stayed silent for a moment before she spoke again. "Nope, unless I can remember everything there is to know about the man I'm not going to get him involved. He may even say that he is strong enough for the both of us, but I don't want to place that amount of burden on him. If I stick to my budget and my job keeps up, then I'll be able to afford treatment myself and maybe I can get what I want next year for Christmas."

Inuyasha shook his head at her. He had always known Kagome to be stubborn, but she was just going to end up hurting herself even more by not telling Sesshoumaru the truth. If he didn't already promise Kagome to keep her secret he would have sought out Sesshoumaru months ago and told him himself.

Kagome remained silent for the rest of the trip and soon they were pulling up to her apartment building.

"Thank you for tonight Inuyasha; I did have a good time," Kagome said to him.

"It was my pleasure. I'll tell Mary you said hello; she's been asking about you a lot lately," Inuyasha replied.

"Please tell her I said hello. Have you two set a date yet?"

"No, but she's leaning for a spring wedding; she'll probably get what she wants," Inuyasha said with a grin.

Kagome gave him a warm hug and thanked him again for taking her out. She watched as his limo pulled away and tried desperately not to feel sorry for herself. Kagome was happy for Inuyasha; after everything that he had been through within the past year, he was finally going to get what he wanted: a nice family to come home to.

Kagome looked off into the distance and saw the gleaming lights of the Empire State building. Whenever she looked at it she always felt drawn to it, but never understood why. There was just something about it that made her want to go there, but with her work schedule she never got the chance.

She took a step towards the Empire State building, but stopped. The doctors had said that was where her accident had occurred and now Kagome was less than enthusiastic to venture there. Instead, she turned around to head into her apartment.

She would save the Empire State building for another day.

* * *

Kagome used her weekend to roam the streets of Manhattan, stopping into small hole-in-the-wall stores to see what they had to offer; it was a small indulgence of hers. She had already found a nice jewelry shop, a cheap shoe store, and a music store that housed some of her favorite old bands that she had problems finding elsewhere. 

She was on her way home, when she passed by a small art gallery. She looked in the window as she passed but then stopped short when she saw a particular painting that was hanging on the wall in the back. For a minute she could only stare at it from the outside, but curiosity had soon gotten the better of her and she walked into the deserted gallery.

A tiny bell chimed, signaling her entry and Kagome made her way to the back wall. She reached up to touch it when a man walked into the room.

"Hello there, can I help you with anything today?" John asked Kagome.

"Um, yes, I was wondering if you could tell me about this painting," she asked him.

John looked at the painting and nodded a couple of times to gather his thoughts. "This painting was done by the artist a couple of months ago. He never mentioned who she was, but it is truly one of his best works."

Kagome continued to look at the picture and John took a moment to look her over, as any red-blooded man would do. He furrowed his brows as he studied her face and then looked towards the painting. To double check, he looked at her once more and then the painting once more; now making a very intriguing connection.

John cleared his throat to gain Kagome's attention. "If I may be so bold as to say, you look quite a great deal like the young woman in this painting."

Kagome closed her eyes and felt unshed tears stinging her eyes. "It's because that is me. The man who painting this…I'm supposed to know him."

"Supposed to know him? What do you mean?" John asked.

"There was an accident…I just can't remember…" Kagome trailed off while shaking her head. "It is a very beautiful painting. There is so much emotion in it; it's just…breathtaking. And I'm not saying that because that's me in the painting."

John chuckled a little at the small joke. Just being around her for a few minutes gave him a sense of what Sesshoumaru would see in her. She was incredibly beautiful with a warm disposition. It was hard to think that this small woman had been the one to bring out such emotion from the once harsh businessman.

She picked herself up straight again and wiped at her eyes. "How much is the artist asking for the painting?"

"Well, I believe that this is one of his best works, though he may disagree with me. Tell you what; why don't you stop by tomorrow and I'll have a number for you."

Kagome agreed that she would stop by tomorrow and John handed her his card.

"Excuse me John?" Kagome asked before she left the gallery.

"Yes?"

"Please, um, don't tell him I was here. I would appreciate being kept anonymous," Kagome asked of him.

John nodded his agreement. "Of course."

Kagome smiled at him and then left the gallery to head back to her apartment.

As soon as she left John picked up his phone and dialed Sesshoumaru's condo.

"_Hello?" _came Sesshoumaru's voice.

"Yes hello Sesshoumaru it's John."

"_What can I do for you John?"_

"I had a young woman come into the art gallery today who took quite a liking to your painting."

"_I have many painting there John; which one captured her tastes?"_

"The one of the young woman standing before an ocean backdrop, sniffing the tropical flower. She said she saw a lot of pent up emotion in it, and was immediately interested."

"_John I told you not to place that painting in there; it was not my best."_

"Oh well, I did, and she wants to purchase it. So how much are you asking for it?"

"_Just let her have it. I highly doubt anyone else will see what she saw in that painting…well, besides you."_

"Are you sure?"

"_Quite."_

"Alright Sesshoumaru, I'll give her the painting. Don't overwork yourself."

John hung up the phone and smiled. He could feel that his friend would be very happy in the very near future. Sesshoumaru and that woman, Kagome, were closer to each other than they even realized and it was only a matter of time before the fates smiled down on them again.

He was quite curious as to what Kagome meant when she said that she was supposed to know Sesshoumaru. Her admission of an accident left half-way between finding an answer. Perhaps he should look into it a little more; for curiosity's sake of course.

* * *

**_Well, I hope this leaves you all with warmer feelings towards the writer. Please review, but be kind!_**

* * *


	12. No More Waiting

**_Hello again readers! I know I say this every chapter, but THANK YOU for all of you who took the time out to review; it really means a lot to me and the reviews make it all worth while._**

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**_I know this chapter was much anticipated, so I hope it lives up to your expectations._**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

Sesshoumaru made his way to the small art gallery not too long after he got off of the phone with John. The man had not sounded like himself and Sesshoumaru was genuinely curious as to why. Perhaps it was that woman who liked his painting? That was probably the best conclusion; John always did act differently around a beautiful woman.

He shook himself from his thoughts and entered the gallery. The small chiming bell brought John out immediately from his office. One look at Sesshoumaru and the wheels in John's head began turning.

"Hey Sesshoumaru!" John shouted.

Sesshoumaru raised a suspicious brow and John's over-exuberance. Now he knew that something was going on with him.

"John-is everything…okay?" Sesshoumaru asked almost hesitantly.

"Of course it is! I just met a wonderful young woman who told me the most incredible story!" John exclaimed. "It was the woman who liked your painting."

"Do tell," Sesshoumaru said out of mild curiosity.

"Well, she was a very lovely young woman, but the poor thing has a mild case of amnesia. She can't remember anything that happened within the last year or so and so for the past six months she's been trying to piece her life back together. Isn't that awful?" John told him a bit too happily.

"Indeed," Sesshoumaru commented. "So this woman took the painting?"

"Well, no not yet. I told her to come back tomorrow after I talked to you about pricing."

Sesshoumaru nodded in understanding. "I stand by what I said; she may have it. I have no use for it anymore."

On the outside John was indifferent, but on the inside he was grinning like a Cheshire cat. As soon as he had hung up with Sesshoumaru earlier, he had made a few phone calls to some of his fellow art dealers. One of them just so happened to know Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru's younger brother, who just so happened to know Kagome.

Inuyasha had been more than happy to tell Kagome's story if it meant that Sesshoumaru and she would _finally_ come together and talk about their situation. Inuyasha had told John that as much as he loved Kagome, she was as stubborn as a mule when it came to changing her mind about something she had already decided on.

John had been all too willing to set Sesshoumaru and Kagome up after Inuyasha had told him about Kagome's situation. Sesshoumaru had merely existed for the past six months. He never did anything of any excitement and quite frankly, he was beginning to worry.

So with the help of Inuyasha, John had developed a plan that was extremely simple, but would be quite effective.

"Sesshoumaru," John began, "I would like you to get a hold of a friend of mine. He is another art dealer and it would probably be useful to have your painting hanging in more than one gallery."

"I have no need to take my business elsewhere. Having my work in your gallery is giving me a steady income," Sesshoumaru casually pointed out.

"Yes, but Sesshoumaru," John tried again," He is really good at what he does, and wouldn't it be nice to have some extra money to travel again? Perhaps back to the home in Hawaii you're constantly going on about?"

"I suppose," Sesshoumaru said with another raised eyebrow. "If it will keep you from bothering me you may give me his number."

John wanted to laugh aloud that his plan was taking shape. "Well you see, I lost his card, but you can look it up in the phone book. His last name is Higurman, you can use the phone book at my desk if you'd like."

"Alright."

Sesshoumaru moved towards the desk and opened the phone book that was conveniently placed out on the desk for him to find. Scanning through the pages, Sesshoumaru looked for John's friend Higurman, but his finger stilled when he ran across the name of Higurashi, Kagome. He had not thought of looking her up before, but now, when her address was right in front of him, he could not help himself.

Sesshoumaru grabbed a small piece of paper and a pen and quickly jotted down her address before folding the paper and tucking it safely in his coat pocket. He then found the other name he was looking for and wrote that down as well; not exactly positive that he would even call.

"Did you find it Sesshoumaru?" John asked from a back room.

Sesshoumaru did not answer, but instead he left the gallery without as much as a 'see you later' to John.

John came out of the back room after not receiving an answer and realized that Sesshoumaru was no longer there. He finally released his smile and walked over to the desk and saw that the phone book had been left open to the page that Kagome's name and address was on.

"Ha! What till Inuyasha hears about this!"

* * *

The next day found Kagome lounging lazily in her easy chair with her favorite book in her hands. She had gone back to the gallery as promised to pick up the painting that Sesshoumaru had done of her. She was not vain by any means, but the painting itself was done exquisitely and she could not and would not pass up the opportunity to bring herself even just a little bit closer to her supposed fiancé.

Imagine her pleasant surprise when she went to get it and the gallery owner had told her that Sesshoumaru said to give it to her for free. At first she was worried that the owner, John, had told Sesshoumaru that it was she who was taking the painting. But after he had assured her that he had kept his promise of secrecy from Sesshoumaru, she had gratefully accepted the gift.

So now it hung in her bedroom as a sort of goal for herself; to become the woman in the painting that known and loved the man Sesshoumaru. Lately her dreams of him had become more detailed. She had even remembered a conversation that they had had on the cruise she could not remember.

It had been a nice, slightly-drunken, conversation:

"_You know Sesshoumaru," she said. He didn't miss the fact that she didn't use his last name this time while addressing him. Ah, the wonders of alcohol. "You're exactly how I imagined you to be."_

"_Ah, so you've thought of me before?" Sesshoumaru asked amusedly._

"_Well yes, I mean, what red blooded woman hasn't thought of you in one way or another," she stated._

"_And precisely which way have you thought of me Kagome?"_

"_That's for me to know and for you to-"_

"_Find out?" Sesshoumaru interrupted. "I'd be delighted."_

"_Don't be crafty Sesshoumaru. Your skills may have worked on other women, but I for one, am not falling for it."_

"_You cannot blame me for trying," he stated. "You know you're a lot easier to speak with when you have been drinking."_

"_Yes, so I've been told. I guess I'm not very good at holding my liquor; I'll only have one more glass after this."_

Kagome smiled at the fond memory; it was the clearest one she had of him and she cherished it deeply.

"Ok Ms. Higurashi," her housekeeper announced, breaking the spell that Kagome was in. "I think I am finished here for the day. Is there anything else I can do for you while I'm here?"

"No Lindsay, please, go home and relax. You deserve it," Kagome said with a smile.

Lindsay thanked her and walked towards the door. She stopped and turned to Kagome again. "You seem happier today Ms. Higurashi. It's nice to see your smile again."

As if reinforcing Lindsay's position, Kagome gifted her with another smile. She then sat back again in her chair to read her book.

Lindsay shook her head and smiled herself. She was privy to what Kagome was going through and sympathized with her adamantly. She turned and opened the door but was startled when she saw someone blocking her way.

"Excuse me," Sesshoumaru asked Lindsay. "But does Ms. Higurashi reside here?"

Lindsay could do nothing but stare dumbly at him with her mouth open. She managed a small nod and then glanced back with her eyes.

Sesshoumaru followed her gaze and noticed Kagome sitting in a chair near a fireplace wearing much the same expression that the woman who opened the door was. He stared at Kagome, trying to think of the best thing to say to her, but could not make out any words. Deciding that the best way to start a conversation with her was to actually _say_ something, Sesshoumaru said the only thing he could think of.

"Hello."

Kagome said nothing as she continued to stare at him in disbelief. Sesshoumaru was actually here in her apartment and no doubt came looking for answers from her and she had no idea what she was going to tell him.

Sesshoumaru took off his coat and set them on a coat rack that was close to the door. Lindsay smiled to herself and then quietly bowed out of the room, giving the two of them some much needed privacy so that they could hash things out.

Sesshoumaru walked over to the still silent Kagome and sat down on the table in front of her.

"How are you Kagome?" he asked her.

"F-fine. It's, uh, good to see you," Kagome told him.

Sesshoumaru let out a nearly inaudible breath. This was a start.

"It's good to see you too Kagome. How are you feeling? I did not interrupt anything did I?"

"No, I was-I was just reading," Kagome said quickly. She swallowed the large lump in her throat that had slowly started to constrict her breathing. She was beyond anxious having him so close to her, yet she could not look away from those familiar eyes.

Sesshoumaru stood then and casually walked around. "That's good; I'm glad to hear that you are well."

"And you? How are you?"

Sesshoumaru looked at her and then shrugged. "I have been…well, I have been reasonable," he settled. He did not want to tell her that he had been absolutely miserable the past six months without her; without knowing what happened. "It's been a long time."

"Yes, I suppose it has," Kagome replied. "It's-it's good to see you."

"Yes, you've already said that," Sesshoumaru pointed out. He walked over to the chair next to her and motioned towards it. "May I sit down?"

"Of course."

"I won't take up too much of your time," he told her. "I only just stopped by to see how you were."

"It's okay; I don't mind," Kagome assured him.

Sesshoumaru sighed and sat back in the chair. He felt like a blubbering fool not being able to form complete sentences. In his defense, Kagome seemed to be as nervous as he was. He cleared his throat and continued as best as he could.

"I suppose you are wondering how I got here?" he asked her.

Kagome nodded her head, but did not say anything.

"Well," Sesshoumaru began, "I was looking in the telephone book for someone with the last name of Higurman and then I saw your name, Higurashi, Kagome."

Sesshoumaru looked at her and she pulled in her bottom lip between her teeth. It was such a simple way of finding her that she had not even thought of the possibility of him using that method.

"I began to think to myself," Sesshoumaru continued, "if this was the same Kagome Higurashi that was an old friend of mine."

"-And it was," Kagome offered.

Sesshoumaru nodded his head. "Yes, it was. I thought that the least I could do was come by and speak with you. You see, I had an appointment with this friend of mine in July, but I did not keep it."

Kagome furrowed her brows in confusion. She could not remember any appointment that they had made with each other, but apparently, like he had admitted, he missed it. So, he came to apologize.

"You-you didn't keep your appointment?" Kagome asked him.

"No, I am afraid I did not," he continued. "And I do not believe that is a great way to treat an old friend."

Sesshoumaru's voice began to hold a rather sarcastic tune to it, and Kagome had to wonder if he was the one to actually miss the appointment. Starting to put some of the pieces together, Kagome calculated that it was July when she had her accident.

Her eyes widened at this new revelation; she had been the one to stand him up, although not purposely. A flash of her memory streaked across her mind then. She remembered looking up at the Empire State building and having a feeling of euphoria when she observed the top.

"No, I don't suppose that is a great way to treat a friend, is it?" Kagome agreed.

"No, it's not. So please accept my apologies," Sesshoumaru said with a small bow.

"There-there's no need to apologize. I-" Kagome started.

"I thought so."

"You know; I've thought about you a lot," Kagome told him. "I've wondered how you were."

"I've thought about you quite often as well. So," he questioned, "you were not angry with me for missing our appointment?"

Kagome thought about her answer. She still was not completely ready to tell him about her amnesia; the last thing she wanted was for him to feel sorry for her and burden himself. She thought over her possible answers and decided to go with the flow and answer how she thought he would have felt.

"Well, at first I was angry," she lied. "I mean, wouldn't you be?"

"Indeed I would be. Did you wait long for me? How long did you wait?" he asked her.

"Well, I-I waited until-"

"Two in the morning."

Kagome worried her bottom lip and felt tears form in her eyes. So, he had waited hours for her to show up at this appointment they had set and she never showed. Still, what was so important about the meeting?

"Then what did you do?" Sesshoumaru asked her.

"W-well," Kagome began nervously. She really hated being toyed with, but better to keep up appearances. "I…you can imagine that I was getting pretty angry standing, waiting up there-"

"-In a thunderstorm," Sesshoumaru quickly added.

Kagome let one tear fall. She felt absolutely awful that he had waited up there, in the rain, for her and she could not even remember him completely. The man in front of her obviously loved her a great deal for putting up with so much, and if he were to know that she could not even remember him…well she could only imagine what a slap in the face that would be.

She sighed. "In a thunderstorm," she repeated quietly.

"And then, what did you say to yourself?" Sesshoumaru continued on with his line of farce questioning.

"I suppose I told myself to go home, dry off, and have a drink," Kagome sighed.

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "But you did not do that did you?"

"I didn't?"

"No. Well, perhaps you did drink a little, say every hour for about a month," Sesshoumaru stated as he stood up from his chair.

Kagome swallowed loudly and closed her eyes. Perhaps she should just get this over with and tell him. "Sesshoumaru-"

"No. I do not believe I am finished," he said now rather agitated. "The least I could have done was leave a note, but I did not. And I promised that if we were to ever see each other again that I would explain."

Kagome was letting her tears fall freely now, but they were silent. She had obviously hurt him very much and she was ashamed of herself for not telling him sooner now. She could not imagine all of the hurt that he had gone through not knowing why she never showed up to their appointment.

"Sesshoumaru, I'm sure if one of us didn't show up, it would have been for a very good reason," Kagome managed to get out.

"Like what for instance?" Sesshoumaru bit out.

There was a deafening silence between them after his question and Sesshoumaru sighed. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered her one to which she kindly refused. He lit his cigarette and took a drag on it, all the while watching her. He wanted nothing more than to just take her in his arms and forget everything that had happened and start over.

Sesshoumaru chuckled then in slight mockery of himself.

"You know, I walked all the way here," Sesshoumaru informed her. "Twenty-six city blocks, and the entire way I was debating on what would be the best way to wring your beautiful neck."

Kagome watched him as he slowly took another drag on his cigarette. The silence between them had not been broken even by him speaking aloud. It seemed to permeate the air around them and Kagome had to fight with herself to just stay silent while he vented out his frustrations.

"All the way here I argued with myself, and what do I do? I find myself not even able to ask you why you did not show up. Did you know that I came here to ask you that?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

Kagome nodded slowly as her answer.

"When I am around you, I find it difficult to do the things I want to," he said.

Kagome reached up to her throat to relieve some of the tension that had gathered there and Sesshoumaru noticed that she was not wearing a wedding band.

"Hn. No wedding ring I see."

Kagome shook her head. "Nope."

"Hn…I thought when I saw you-"

"At the concert?" Kagome asked. "No…no, he was just taking me out…as a friend."

"I see."

"How-how's everything with _you_ Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked trying to gather more information about him. While she had the chance she wanted to see him open and honest. She had an instinctive feeling that he was usually quite closed off about his feelings.

"Quite honestly everything was fine until I saw you again. I just…can't do this anymore," Sesshoumaru softly said to her. "I've decided to move to Hawaii; it's been rather difficult living in the same city with you, no matter how big it is."

Sesshoumaru motioned to leave, but gave her a chance to protest his departure. Kagome was having an inner battle with herself about what to do. On the one hand it had sounded like he was finally making peace with himself and what had happened, but on the other hand she wanted him to stay and see what could become between them. Her battle with herself was halted when he spoke again.

"You're happy aren't you?" Sesshoumaru asked her.

"I suppose," she whispered. "Things could always be better. Are you happy?"

"I'm not exactly sure. To be honest, I am a bit unsure of the future," Sesshoumaru spoke a bit upbeat. "I'll continue making paintings in my exhausting emotion-filled states."

"Sesshoumaru I-" Kagome tried again.

"Before I forget," Sesshoumaru said as he walked towards his coat. He pulled out a small bag of flower seeds and a couple of tiny flowers that he had stored carefully away. "I brought you something."

"You didn't have to-"

"Think nothing of it," he said as he handed her the items. "I would have sent them to you, but I did not know where you resided until today."

Kagome took the offered items and observed them carefully. She was touched at how beautiful the tropical flowers where and smiled gently.

"Sango wanted me to give them to you," Sesshoumaru said.

"Sango?"

"Yes, you remember her; the woman in Hawaii that lives with her husband and now _two_ children in my 'home away from home' as you so helped be dub it."

Kagome was again speechless as she tried to remember the events and the people he was talking about; but still, nothing came to mind. She looked back to the flowers and closed her eyes as she took a sniff at them, reveling in their fragrant aroma.

Sesshoumaru watched her carefully and went to pick up his coat.

"I guess I should be going," he started. Sesshoumaru looked back at her and smirked. "You know, I painted you like that…with the flowers and your hair…I wish you could have seen it, you probably would have liked it. My dealer, John, swore it was my best work of art. I never thought he'd part with it. But a young woman came into the gallery and he told me that she had seen everything in that painting the way I saw it; and the way I thought you'd see it."

Kagome bit her lip as he continued on with his story.

"So I told him that she could have it. He told me a bit about her, that she was lovely, but that she…" Sesshoumaru trailed off as a thought came to his mind. He looked around the room in search of something while he continued with his story.

"Well, I told him to go ahead and let her have the painting," he repeated as he continued his search.

Kagome watched in anticipation as he walked around her apartment. A part of her wanted him to find the painting so that she would not have to explain everything, and the other part that was protesting was not allowing her to move.

"I had no use for the painting anymore, and it is the holiday season," Sesshoumaru rambled on.

He came to the door leading to the only room he had yet to check in his search. With bated breath he pushed the door open to her bedroom and stopped in his tracks.

Hanging there, above her bed, was the painting he had done of her. Her hair was down and blowing in the wind and she delicately smelled the tropical flower in her gentle hands. Sesshoumaru forced himself to breathe when he now realized why Kagome had not met him that day.

Kagome felt her heartbeat dance madly in her chest as she watched him re-enter the room she was occupying. The look in his eyes told her that he now knew everything, and she did not know what to expect from him now. Would he be livid? Relieved? Would he look at her with pity in his beautiful amber eyes?

Sesshoumaru walked towards her and knelt by her side.

"There was one more thing that John told me about the woman who wanted my painting…" Sesshoumaru said. "Why Kagome? Why didn't you just tell me? I could have been there for you- I could have helped you!"

"I-I was afraid of what you would think of me. I mean, dammit Sesshoumaru; you waited for me in the rain and I can't even remember you!" Kagome sobbed. "I was afraid that you would burden yourself with me, and I just couldn't bring myself to do that to someone I can't even remember!"

Sesshoumaru would not lie to himself; it did hurt knowing that she did not remember their time together, but at least he knew now _why_ she had not met him that day. It was better to know this than to think that she did not show because she no longer wanted him.

"Kagome; my life without you for the past few months have been awful. You have turned me into an emotional wreck-and that's saying something considering who I used to be."

"I'm so sorry Sesshoumaru…I'm just…I'm so sorry," Kagome said as she continued to cry.

Sesshoumaru moved up to her and wrapped his arms around her shaking form. He wanted to sigh in content at having her back in his arms, but now was not the moment.

"Kagome; you do realize that I am not going anywhere now. My place is here with you, and we will get through this," he told her.

Kagome drew back from him a bit. "That's what I was afraid of. I don't want you to do something like that for me. I want you to be happy with your life and not be burdened by me. I-"

"Kagome I say this to you now because I love you…shut up."

"What?" Kagome asked a bit surprised.

"You heard me and I will not repeat myself. Now, I know it may be awkward at first having me help you; me, someone that you know and yet do not, but trust me when I say that it will work."

Kagome did not know what compelled her to do what she did next, but all the same she did not fight it. She quickly closed the distance between them and placed a longing kiss on his lips; and she merely allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of kissing the man that had plagued her dreams for over half a year.

Sesshoumaru froze up at first, not expecting her to be so forward, but quickly lost the battle to stay focused. He closed his eyes and brought his hands to her face to deepen the long awaited kiss and held her there as if his life depended on it.

Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck and felt silent tears trace down her face. This felt right; it felt absolutely right in her mind. For the first time in months she felt complete again. She opened her mouth and immediately he followed suite.

A year's worth of longing, frustration, and desire went into their kiss and both Sesshoumaru and Kagome were reluctant to part. They did however, and Kagome placed her forehead on his.

"Kagome," Sesshoumaru said, "we will get through this."

Kagome nodded. "Yes; I know that now. I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you."

"Let us not dwell on the past; for it is behind us," Sesshoumaru told her. "And don't ever think that I will let you forget me so soon."

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**_Before anyone yells at me, there WILL BE AN EPILOGUE!!! I want all of your opinions on this honestly-do you want citrus? I have been debating with myself over and over about this, so now it's up to you, the readers, to decide! Please review and let me know your opinions and don't forget THERE WILL BE ONE MORE CHAPTER!!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!_**

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	13. Epilogue

**_Hello once more readers! This is the final chapter to Not Soon Forgotten, and I want to thank you all profusely for taking the time out and reviewing! You all have been wonderful readers and this story would not have been completed if it had not been for you!_**

**_I hope this chapter sates you all!_**

**_Enjoy!_**

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Four months had been spent trying to get Kagome to remember her time with Sesshoumaru. During this time they casually dated, Sesshoumaru being hell-bent on winning her back even if she did not remember him. He tried to do things with her that would jog her memory, but so far they made little progress. 

Kagome remember some things here and there, but even if she had not, she would still find herself falling for Sesshoumaru. There was so much about him that she adored. He was an intelligent being, he was gorgeous, he had a nice sense of humor, and he was completely and utter devoted to her. He spent much of his time within the confines of her apartment, usually painting while she went on with her daily life as well.

Her teaching career was wonderful; she had found something that made her feel purpose in life and not so empty. Inuyasha and Mary had wed earlier in the month and Sesshoumaru, as well as Kagome, watched as Kagura once again married to help her father's business expand. It was amusing actually, to see Kagura eat up the spot light every time the camera pointed in her direction. She kept in touch with Sesshoumaru, much to his chagrin, and was always wishing he and Kagome the best.

Yes, life was going on even without her year's worth of lost memories. Sesshoumaru had come to terms with the idea that she would never regain that part of her life, and he had accepted it gracefully. He could make due with what he had, and that was a beautiful woman who was willing to spend time with him and make an effort to be with him as they were before her accident.

It was not until the fifth month of the try-and-remember phase that headway was made.

"Where would you like to go tonight?" Kagome asked Sesshoumaru as she watched him brush the paint over blank canvas.

"It matters not to me. Did you have something in mind?" he replied.

For a moment Kagome did not hear his question, she was so intrigued by the way he looked when he painted. His facial features loosened up ever so slightly and his eyes looked at the canvas as though the painting were already completed; he was merely coloring in the finished product. He did not paint with his shirt on, only a measly tank top that left little to her vivid imagination.

"Kagome…" Sesshoumaru said with a little amusement in his voice.

"Hm?"

"You are staring again and you have yet to answer my question."

"Question?...Oh! I'm sorry Sesshoumaru. Um, what was the question again?"

Sesshoumaru felt a small tug on the corner of his mouth; really, Kagome was quite amusing. He had felt her eyes on him while he painted and he felt a sense of male pride wind about him. She liked to look at him, and he liked to return the favor.

They had grown very close over the past five months and he was definitely enjoying his time with her.

"How about we have a night in?" Sesshoumaru suggested.

Kagome smiled and shrugged. "If you want to. I can make us dinner and you can go out and by us some champagne or wine. I've always been fond of champagne cocktails."

Sesshoumaru smirked at her. Kagome probably didn't even realize that she had mentioned something that they had discussed on the ship all that time ago; but he remembered.

"Beer it is then," he joked.

Kagome started to laugh at him but stopped and had to close her eyes as a flood of pictures started racing through her mind. She wavered a little on her feet and Sesshoumaru was there in an instant helping her to the couch.

"Are you alright?" Sesshoumaru asked her while looker her over checking for any damages.

Kagome said nothing, but allowed many of her memories to finally make themselves known to her after so long of being hidden. There were still bits and pieces that were still missing, but for the most part she remembered much of the boat trip, her short time in Los Angeles, and then watching as the car struck her, leaving her to lie in the street and think of how she failed Sesshoumaru.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered, and she had yet to say anything to calm Sesshoumaru's nerves. He shook her shoulders gently and she looked into his eyes with happiness, weariness, and embarrassment.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" Sesshoumaru asked her in another attempt to get her to talk.

"I-I remember," Kagome whispered. "I remember so many things about us…a-about…everything."

Sesshoumaru's eyes slightly widened in surprise; what had brought it on? He did not know how to act at the moment, how was he supposed to respond? Would she still feel the same way for him as she had? Or would her feelings change? Sesshoumaru chose to stay quiet until she spoke first, and then he would go from there.

Sesshoumaru waited patiently for Kagome to come to terms with all of her memories and feelings. He did not care to admit it, but he was feeling quite on edge as they sat there in silence. He was a bit startled when she suddenly spoke.

"I'm sorry Sesshoumaru," Kagome said weakly.

Sesshoumaru did not know what she was sorry for, but he had a feeling that he was not going to like it. Perhaps she decided that she could not be with him anymore.

"Why are you apologizing?" Sesshoumaru asked her.

"I'm apologizing because, everything…you…I-everything is my fault."

Sesshoumaru sighed nearly audibly, but kept his calm façade. He was more than just a little relieved that she did not say she could not be with him.

"Kagome, I highly doubt that you asked for any of this to-" Sesshoumaru began but was cut off by Kagome.

"-It is my fault though," she spoke softly. "I couldn't help it. I was on my way to the Empire State building and I was looking up at the sky. The top of the building was the nearest thing to heaven, remember? And you were there. I just couldn't bring myself to look away and then someone ran into me and well…that's when I saw the car; it was too late to move."

Sesshoumaru reached for her hand and gently picked it up to place a light kiss on it. He looked at her with much seriousness in his eyes as he spoke.

"Do not start placing blame on yourself; what happened-happened and now we will move on from here. Know that I will always wait for you until you're ready."

"Don't you think we've waited long enough Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked with exasperation.

Sesshoumaru sat back a little in his seat and openly stared at Kagome with mild surprise. He was more than willing to give her the space she needed to get her life and her feelings in order, but then she nearly put him in his place.

Without pause he wrapped his hand behind her head and brought her in for a deep kiss. They had kissed many times over the months, but this kiss was familiar. This was what it had felt like on the boat; this was how it was supposed to be.

Kagome melted in his arms, enjoying the feel of him. It was amazing what Sesshoumaru could make her feel with his kiss. She wanted to cry with happiness at being able to remember what he had felt like the first time that they shared a kiss; that night, so many things changed for the both of them.

Kagome placed her hand on his arm that was securely keeping her in place and squeezed it to make sure that he was real, to be sure that she was not just dreaming. When she did not feel him give way she sighed happily and opened herself up to him, taking in all his kiss had to offer.

It quickly became heated, filled with pent up lust and frustration that both had felt for months in between their sometimes heavy petting. Sesshoumaru's hand sought out the buttons on her shirt and he made quick work of relieving her of the restraining material.

Kagome did not stop him, instead she in turn pulled his shirt from out of his pants and lifted it over his head. She rubbed his shoulders and chest, feeling his muscles shudder underneath her touch.

Sesshoumaru broke away from her mouth and kissed his way down to her shoulder. He used one clawed finger to gently move her bra strap from her shoulder and kissed where it once was.

Kagome tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes, reveling in his soft, warm kisses. She felt as he reached behind her and finally undid the clasp of her bra and felt his nails lightly drag across her skin to take the material from her body. She shivered and her skin was suddenly covered in goose bumps as Sesshoumaru gazed over her form.

He leaned forward and captured her lips again while at the same time lifting her body and positioning her in a laying position underneath him on the couch.

Kagome moved her hands down his chest and lower to his abdomen until she reached the button of his pants. She quickly undid the button and zipper and helped him remove his pants. Sesshoumaru was left bare for her inspections and she was enjoying every minute of it.

It did not take long for a pile of clothes to form on the floor. Two nude bodies were pressed closely against each other, clinging desperately to one another while hands memorized each and every curve, muscle, and texture.

The bodies became linked together and a passionate, unrushed motion was set. Soft moans and panting breaths were the only noises coming from the small apartment as the two lovers finally united after so long being apart.

_

* * *

_

_**Six months later…**_

Kagome and Sesshoumaru walked hand in hand up the pathway, stopping every now and then for Kagome to sniff at a new flower she had noticed. It was another beautiful day, and the couple often enjoyed their walks together in the coolness of the early evening.

Sesshoumaru turned when he heard his name being called and watched as an ever-excited Rin bounded towards them. Following close behind were Sango and Miroku, who was holding the newest addition to their small family.

"Hey you two, you're back from your walk early," Sango said with a smile.

"Indeed; Kagome was feeling a bit fatigued, so we thought it best to return," Sesshoumaru supplied.

Sango gave them both a grin; it was wonderful having them here. Both Sango and Miroku were very happy to hear that Kagome had regained her memories of Sesshoumaru, as well as them, and were even more excited when they announced their move.

"The house is coming along nicely," Miroku said as they all walked towards he and Sango's home.

"Yes it is; it should be done just in time for the baby," Kagome said with a wistful sigh.

She gently patted her rounded belly and Sesshoumaru smirked at the gesture.

They had decided to move to Hawaii when they found out Kagome was pregnant, and even planned a small wedding ceremony for a month after she gave birth. Who knew; their first night together six months ago would lead to so many changes; all of which, were very welcomed.

The large extended family walked towards the house, laughing here and there at small jokes. Sesshoumaru gave Kagome a small peck on the lips and helped her up the steps and into the house. They were creating new memories now and soon would have another one to add to the ever growing collection.

It all started with a boat ride.

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**_Well, there you have it! I thank you all again, feel free to review and let me know what you thought. I really enjoyed writing this story so I hope you all enjoyed reading it! Until next time..._**

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